A WINNING FORMULA
Adding sustainable seafood to the menu is a win-win
BIG MAC MEMOIRS
Industry icon George Cohon, founder of McDonald’s in Canada and Russia, talks about building a QSR empire
GOURMET TO GO RMS segment is taking a CANADIAN PUBLICATION MAIL PRODUCT SALES AGREEMENT #40063470
bite out of foodservice sales
PLUS F&H ’s 2016 HOSPITALITY MARKET REPORT Foodservice operators continue to struggle for market share
CHEF SHANE ROBILLIARD CHAMPIONS SUSTAINABLE MENUS Shane Robilliard, director of Food & Beverage at Fox Harb’r Resort in Wallace, N.S. foodserviceandhospitality.com $4 | NOVEMBER 2016
Campbell’s® Verve®
Tomato Roasted R Red Pepper R Bisque with Gouda
Campbell’s® Verve®
trending
Roasted Poblano & White R Cheddar Soup with Tomatillos
SIMPLIFIED Wanna keep up with the flavours #DuJour? Connect with us. Campbell’s® Verve® soups bring together rich stocks, real cream and #TheLatest ingredients – making it easy to be #OnPoint with every bowl. #Yum #SoupSavvy #ToDieFor #BestSoupEver Learn more at CampbellsFoodservice.ca
©2016 Campbell Company of Canada
VOLUME 49, NUMBER 8 NOVEMBER 2016
CONTENTS 52
12
Features
PHOTOGRAPHY: GEORGE KLASS [COVER, SHANE ROBILLIARD], VADIM DANIEL [KIMBERLY LALLOUZ]
12 A WINNING FORMULA How
sustainably sourced fish or seafood is prepared and served to customers is just as important as where it comes from By Andrew Coppolino
20 GONE FISHING
Chef Shane Robilliard champions home-grown, sustainable menus for East Coast diners By Denise Deveau
24 TUMULTUOUS TIMES
Operators continue to struggle for market share as foodservice sales growth in Canada remains flat By Amy Bostock
F&H ’s 2016 Hospitality Market Report
35 BIG MAC MEMOIRS
George Cohon, founder of McDonald’s in Canada and Russia, talks about building a QSR empire and ‘burger diplomacy’ Interview by Rosanna Caira
PAGE 24
41 GOURMET TO GO
Canada’s RMS segment continues to grow to meet consumer demand for convenient, affordable and fresh meals By Andrew Coppolino
44 LOCAL VINES
Canadian wines are making a mark on the world stage By Danielle Schalk
47 A MODERN SPIN ON WAREWASHING
Today’s foodservice operators are learning it’s not all about the cleaning By Denise Deveau
FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
35
Departments
2 FROM THE EDITOR 5 FYI 11 FROM THE DESK OF ROBERT CARTER 52 CHEF’S CORNER: Kimberly
Lallouz, Miss Prêt à Manger, Monsieur Resto & Bar and Le Bird Bar, Montreal
FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER 2016
1
FROM THE EDITOR For daily news and announcements: @foodservicemag on Twitter
and Foodservice and Hospitality on Facebook.
ALTERED STATE
I
“
Amidst this altered state, operators are scrambling to stay on top of changing trends (especially technology) while trying to be all things to all people
”
2 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER 2016
t’s been said that in life, the journey is more important than the destination. But these days, with mounting challenges to contend with, operators are often feeling a little lost on the road to success and are increasingly being forced to check their compasses and change directions on a regular basis. Operating a restaurant within today’s ever-changing and complex environment where consumers are demanding more is a daunting proposition — one that can lead to frustration. Given that competition is stiffer than ever, and growth elusive, operators are being forced to steal market share from each other (see Hospitality Market Report story on p. 24). Amidst this altered state, operators are scrambling to stay on top of changing trends (especially technology) while trying to be all things to all people. But, many are losing sight of the core tenets of their business, ignoring the essential small details of running a successful restaurant, and, in the process, risking guest loyalty. Ironically, more often than not, after a bad restaurant experience, the natural inclination is to complain to our friends or family or opt not to return. As someone who covers the foodservice industry, I try to keep each experience in perspective. But a few weeks ago, in a matter of days, I faced several frustrating situations leading me to question what’s going on. First, I ventured for lunch at a QSR operation that promotes itself as a purveyor of healthy food — despite the fact the restaurant’s prep methods are questionable (the “cooks” use the same utensils to prepare chicken, seafood and veggies, leading to the possibility of cross contamination). In fact, even though I ordered a veggie dish, it contained pieces of chicken.
Then, a few days later, while out for dinner at a high-end restaurant, our party’s introduction to the restaurant came via a stale bread basket. A small detail, perhaps, but an important one nonetheless, as it sets the tone for what’s to come. But the greatest frustration happened at a local, neighbourhood restaurant where we were left to wait for almost an hour before our entrée arrived. What made the experience particularly frustrating was that after serving us our appetizers, our waitress was MIA for the rest of the night. Not only did she not clear our appetizer dishes, or check back to see if we needed anything, but she never let us know there was a problem with our order. We later discovered, through another server, who we had to flag down to find out what was happening, that the kitchen had actually produced the dish in a timely fashion, but that our waitress had been too busy with others to notice. Eventually, she did return to apologize — and to blame the kitchen for the long wait — then disappeared for another 15 minutes before finally delivering our food. Needless to say, by this point the frustration level, and the hunger pangs, were way beyond repair. And an offer for a free coffee or dessert to make up for the lapse in service did little more than leave a bad taste in our mouths. As in any business, mistakes are bound to happen, but it’s how they’re dealt with that makes the difference between success and failure.
Rosanna Caira Editor/Publisher rcaira@kostuchmedia.com
FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
EDITOR & PUBLISHER ROSANNA CAIRA rcaira@kostuchmedia.com ART DIRECTOR MARGARET MOORE ideas@margaretmoorecreative.com MANAGING EDITOR AMY BOSTOCK abostock@kostuchmedia.com ASSISTANT EDITOR DANIELLE SCHALK dschalk@kostuchmedia.com EDITORIAL ASSISTANT ERIC ALISTER ealister@kostuchmedia.com MULTIMEDIA MANAGER DEREK RAE drae@kostuchmedia.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER COURTNEY JENKINS cjenkins@kostuchmedia.com SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER/U.S.A. WENDY GILCHRIST wgilchrist@kostuchmedia.com ACCOUNT MANAGER MARIA FAMA VIECILI mviecili@kostuchmedia.com ACCOUNT MANAGER MAGGIE SPENCE mspence@kostuchmedia.com ACCOUNT MANAGER CHERYLL SAN JUAN csanjuan@kostuchmedia.com CUSTOMER SERVICE ASSOCIATE ELENA OSINA eosina@kostuchmedia.com CIRCULATION PUBLICATION PARTNERS kml@publicationpartners.com, (905) 509-3511 CONTROLLER DANIELA PRICOIU dpricoiu@kostuchmedia.com FOUNDER MITCH KOSTUCH
ADVISORY BOARD CARA OPERATIONS KEN OTTO CORA FRANCHISE GROUP DAVID POLNY CRAVE IT RESTAURANT GROUP ALEX RECHICHI FAIRFAX FINANCIAL HOLDINGS LIMITED NICK PERPICK FHG INTERNATIONAL INC. DOUG FISHER FRESHII MATTHEW CORRIN JOEY RESTAURANT GROUP BRITT INNES KATIE JESSOP REGISTERED DIETITIAN LECOURS WOLFSON LIMITED NORMAN WOLFSON MANITOWOC FOODSERVICE JACQUES SEGUIN SCHOOL OF HOSPITALITY & TOURISM MANAGEMENT, UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH BRUCE MCADAMS SENSORS QUALITY MANAGEMENT DAVID LIPTON SOTOS LLP JOHN SOTOS SOUTH ST. BURGER CO. JAY GOULD THE HOUSE OF COMMONS JUDSON SIMPSON THE MCEWAN GROUP MARK MCEWAN UNILEVER FOOD SOLUTIONS NORTH AMERICA GINNY HARE
To subscribe to F&H, visit foodserviceandhospitality.com VOLUME 49, NUMBER 8 Published 11 times per year by Kostuch Media Ltd., 23 Lesmill Rd., Suite 101, Toronto, Ont., M3B 3P6. Tel: (416) 447-0888, Fax (416) 447-5333, website: foodserviceandhospitality.com. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: 1-year subscription, $55; U.S. $80; International, $100. Canada Post – “Canadian Publication Mail Product Sales Agreement #40063470.” Postmaster send form 33-086-173 (11-82). RETURN MAIL TO: Kostuch Media Ltd., 23 Lesmill Rd., Suite 101, Toronto, Ont., M3B 3P6. Member of CCAB, a Division of BPA International, Restaurants Canada, The American Business Media and Magazines Canada. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada, through the Canadian Periodical Fund (CPF) of the Department of Canadian Heritage. Printed in Canada on recycled stock.
Now... that’s a sandwich! If you’d like to see your sales and profits reach new heights, contact Piller’s Foodservice Sales. We’re experts at helping your foodservice programs rise to their potential. pillers.com/foodservice 1-800-265-2627
Approved Event
MONTHLY NEWS AND UPDATES FOR THE FOODSERVICE INDUSTRY
FULL DISCLOSURE
Ontario’s new menu-labelling legislation brings big changes for foodservice chains
FYI
BY DANIELLE SCHALK
T
he looming new year is set to bring significant changes to Ontario restaurant chains as the Healthy Menu Choices Act, 2015 comes into force. This menu-labelling legislation will require all foodservice operations with 20 or more locations in Ontario to display calorie information for all standard menu items (items available for less than 90 days of the year will be exempt from this classification). The aim of this new regulation is to help Ontarians make healthier choices when dining out and raise public awareness about the calorie content of food and beverages consumed outside of the home. The Act, which comes into force on Jan. 1, 2017, affects not only restaurants and QSRs, but all foodservice locations offering processed/prepared food and beverage items intended for immediate consumption on or off-premises which must also meet the prescribed number of locations. In short, con-
venience stores, grocery stores, public-facing cafeterias and snack bars, cafés and movie theatres offering prepared or ready-to-eat menu items will be required to comply. The required menu labelling applies not only to printed menus, but menu boards, drive-thru menus and electronic menus (such as menus on tablets), as well as online menus, advertisements and promotional flyers where prices for standard food items are displayed and these items are listed as available for delivery or take-away ordering. Calorie information must also be displayed on labels/tags where these items are displayed or are self-serve. In addition, selfserve food and beverage items — including buffet offerings — must be accompanied by a statement of the serving size used to determine the number of calories. Similarly, labels on items intended for sharing must list the number of servings as well as the calories for the entire item or for a reasonable serving size of the item. A statement regarding average daily caloric requirements will also be required to be displayed, providing customers with context for the calorie counts listed on menus. Though not all foodservice establishments will be impacted by this legislation, even those unaffected, such as Toronto-based Hopscotch restaurants, have recognized the demand for transparency.
AHEAD OF THE CURVE
All 7-Eleven stores across Canada began voluntarily posting calorie labels in September. Calorie counts are now displayed on price tags and menu boards for non-packaged food-and-beverage items offered at 7-Eleven convenience stores. “[At] 7-Eleven Canada [we are] committed to providing our customers with the information they need to make more informed choices,” says Raj Kapoor, VP and GM. “We’re proud to take a leadership role to be among the first retailers to implement calorie menu labelling in Canada.” The chain also offers a Nutrition Quick Reference Guide in stores to provide customers with information on calorie and nutrient content for more than 300 foodand-beverage offerings.
“Most of our customers are conscious of what they eat and where their food comes from, but this is one step closer for the food industry as a whole to place consumers’ health first and assist them in making informed choices,” says Jean Mao, director of Marketing at Hopscotch. “Anything that can streamline their eating decisions will benefit establishments and pave the way for transparency in the food industry.”
FOLLOWING SUIT Ontario’s Healthy Menu Choices Act, 2015 is the latest in a greater North American trend towards menu transparency. In 2010, U.S. Congress passed a similar law requiring chain restaurants with 20 or more locations in the U.S. to provide calorie disclosure on menus and menu boards, the final rules for which were released in late 2014. British Columbia introduced its Informed Dining Program in 2011 — a voluntary program, under which restaurants provide guests with easily accessible nutrition information for all standard menu items. FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER 2016
5
FYI
SWEETEST THING
Sigep is hosting its fiveday artisanal sweet show in Rimini, Italy from Jan. 21 to 25, 2017. This year’s focus will be on pastries, bakery products, decoration, gelato and coffee. The fourth annual Junior Pastry World Championship contest takes place at the Pastry Arena from Jan. 21 to 22, featuring 10 teams of young pastry chefs from France, Japan, the Balkans, India, the Philippines, Singapore, Mexico, Poland, Russia and Italy. The Star of Sugar contest runs throughout Sigep’s five-day expo and showcases confectioners and sugar artists crafting innovative treats. Sigep’s event is also an opportunity for foodservice operators to learn about new products. “The worldwide success of Sigep is due to the unbeatable interaction between innovative companies targeting export, the world’s great master artisans and international events — three firmly connected components, which represent a fast-moving system that multiplies relations, contacts and contracts,” explains Patrizia Cecchi, manager of Rimini Fiera’s Wellness and Food & Beverage segments.sales. — Eric Alister
COMING EVENTS
Nov. 21: Ontario Food Tourism Summit, The Westin Ottawa, Ottawa. email: communications@ontarioculinary.com; website: ontarioculinary.com Dec. 2: The 28th Annual Pinnacle Awards, Fairmont Royal York, Toronto. Tel: 416-447-0888, ext. 235; email: dpricoiu@kostuchmedia.com; website: kostuchmedia.com Jan. 20-Feb. 5: Dine Out Vancouver Festival, Tourism Vancouver, Vancouver. Tel: 614-682-222; email: lpavan@tourismvancouver. com; website: dineoutvancouver.com Jan. 21-25: SIGEP Artisanal Sweet Show, Rimini Fierra Expo Centre, Rimini, Italy. Tel: 39-0541-744-772; email: g.degirolamo@ riminifiera.it; website: en.sigep.it Jan. 26-29: The 36th Annual Guelph Organic Conference, Guelph University Centre, Guelph. Tel: 519-824-4120, ext. 56311; email: organix@auracom.com; website: guelphorganicconf.ca Jan. 28-29: Guelph Organic Trade Show, Guelph University Centre, Guelph. Tel: 519-824-4120, ext. 56311; email: organix@ auracom.com; website: guelphorganicconf.ca Feb. 9: CAFP 43rd Top Management Night Gala, The Boulevard Club, Toronto. Tel: 416-422-3431; email: toronto@cafp.ca; website: cafp.ca Feb. 17-18: Winefest Edmonton, Shaw Conference Centre, Hall D, Edmonton. Tel: 403-228-0777; email: katie@celebratewinefest. com; website: celebratewinefest.com/Edmonton Feb. 26-28: 2017 Restaurants Canada Show, EnerCare Centre, Toronto. Tel: 800-387-5649 ext. 7469; email: theshow@restaurantscanada.org; website: rcshow.com Apr. 19-20: The 13th Annual North American Summit on Food Safety, Old Mill Inn, Toronto. Tel: 866-298-9343 ext. 200; email: customercare@strategyinstitute.com; website: foodsafetycanada.com Apr. 23-24: Bakery Congress Trade Show and Conference, Vancouver Convention Centre, Vancouver. Tel: 905-405-0288 ext. 22; email: amutaher@baking.ca; website: baking.ca
FOR MORE EVENTS, VISIT HTTP://BIT.LY/FHEVENTS
CORRECTION The photographer for Chef’s Corner in our October issue was incorrectly identified. Photo credit goes to Mike Crane.
6 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER 2016
FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
FEB Enercare 26-28 Centre 2017 Toronto
THE HOSPITALITY EVENT OF THE YEAR
canada unleashed Celebrating 150 years • Foodservice • Innovation • Leadership • Culinary Excellence 700 companies
15,000 buyers and foodservice professionals
over 1,000 exhibits
3 days of business building sessions + events
connect + grow Canada’s largest foodservice trade show event
your business
#rcshow17
ek! e W y t i l a t ospi H C R s s i Don't M Date. e h t e v a S e+ c a p S r u o Reserve Y tivation Ac r u o Y n a l P
rcshow.com 1-800-387-5649
theshow@restaurantscanada.org
Š2016 The Original Cakerie
FYI
PROPELLING CHANGE Some of Canada’s best chefs gathered at Toronto’s Propeller Coffee earlier this fall to kick off the third annual Restaurants for Change fundraising event in support of Community Food Centres Canada. The media preview featured chefs from across Canada who were asked to create their “perfect bite” to celebrate the national food event. The Restaurants for Change initiative funds programs to help bring people in low-income communities together to grow, cook and advocate for healthy food. Chef Jeff Crump of Hamilton, Ont.’s Earth to Table Bread Bar wowed guests with his Devils on Horseback — bacon-wrapped prunes with blue cheese — while the team from The Drake, led by chef Ted Corrado, served up Nonna’s Meatballs to the masses. Chefs shared the inspiration behind their “perfect bites” through short stories written on their brown paper tablecloths and promoted the use of seasonal, local ingredients in their dishes. Chefs in attendance included Ryan Donovan, Lora Kirk, Jeff Crump, Marc Lepine, Ben Kramer, David Gunawan, Jonathan Gushue, Renee Lavallee, Ted Corrado, Glen Manzer, Blair Lebsack and Yva Santini. — Amy Bostock
RESTO BUZZ
Notre Dame West in Montreal gained a new fine-dining establishment, specializing in authentic Mexican cuisine. At Emiliano’s, executive chef Carlos Flores and sous chef Ariel Canto from Merida, Yucatan, strive to blend the methods and flavours of the ancient Mayans and Aztecs with South American influences. Menu staples include Al Pastor tacos — braised-marinated pork shoulder, onion, pineapple and cilantro (three for $11.50); and lobster and shrimp quesadillas — lobster, shrimp, flour tortilla, melted Monterey Jack cheese, cilantro, sambal, pineapple and garlic ($21)…Portuguese restaurant Taberna (Spanish for “tavern”) has opened in Old Montreal. Taberna offers friendly and unpretentious comfort foods to eat in or take away. Menu items include the tavern’s signature chicken piri-piri sandwich ($8); a marinated pork sandwich ($8); grilled Portuguese sausage ($8); grilled sardines ($12); and seafood options such as giant black-tiger shrimp, grilled with garlic and hot peppers ($20)…Eataly plans to open its first Canadian location in early 2019 as an anchor tenant of the newly renovated Manulife Centre in the heart of Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood. Eataly — an Italian food marketplace including a mix of food markets, restaurants and eateries — will span three storeys for a total of 50,000 sq. ft…Cineplex has opened Canada’s first location of The Rec Room at South Edmonton Common. The two-level, 60,000-sq.-ft. complex brings together a dining experience with live entertainment and gaming.The Rec Room’s three restaurants feature wood-fired, Canadian-inspired cuisine…Calii Love — a new authentic Poké (raw-fish salad) restaurant by chef Joe Friday — opened in a cool California-inspired space on Toronto’s King St. W. serving healthy options such as smoothies and acai bowls. Its morning coffee program offers direct-trade coffee from Brazil, Columbia and Hawaii… Famo Sandwich Creations, helmed by chef and owner Babak Fahmi, has opened on Sherbourne St. in Toronto. It caters to a more daring palate with its sea-to-farm menu featuring braised beef tongue, pork shoulder, swordfish and braised oxtail as the main sandwich ingredients. Fahmi, a former sous-chef at Terroni in Toronto, chose to use unexpected ingredients, such as cow cheek and duck, to create surprising combinations that lead with flavour first. Opening a new restaurant? Let us in on the buzz. Send a high-res image, menu and background information about the new establishment to ealister@kostuchmedia.com.
FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
©2016 The Original Cakerie
Famo
FYI
IN BRIEF
Pizza Nova has become the first Canadian pizza company to offer bacon and pepperoni made from pork raised without antibiotics (RWA). The pizza chain has also committed to serving 100 per cent RWA chicken wings, grilled chicken and ham by
the end of 2016…McDonald’s Canada has announced its McCafé specialty beverages are now made with a new custom espressobean blend. McDonald’s and its franchisees are also investing in state-of-the-art Swiss equipment that will bring European-inspired espresso beverages to approximately 1,200
restaurants nationwide over the next year… Taco Bell Canada has launched its newest innovation, the Steak Doubledilla — a spin on its quesadilla, with twice the portion of marinated steak, creamy jalapeño sauce and three-cheese blend, all grilled up in a flour tortilla…The Okanagan Wine Festivals Society announced the results of the British Columbia Wine Awards — the province’s oldest and largest wine competition, which featured a record 624 wine entries from more than 90 B.C. wineries. SpeirHead Winery’s Pinot Noir Cuvée 2014 received the Premier’s Award for best overall wine of 2016…Franchise Management Incorporated (FMI), a New-Brunswick-based franchise operator, has assumed ownership and management of 12 Panera Bread bakery cafes in Ontario The purchase includes Panera Bread locations in Don Mills, Richmond Hill, Markham, Mississauga, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Aurora, Barrie, Ottawa, Belleville and Kingston.
PEOPLE
Get news as soon as it’s ready Egg Farmers of Canada provides fresh egg industry news, all the time. Stay up-to-date on animal care, food safety, sustainability and other topics that affect the food industry. Visit our new site, and subscribe to our e-newsletter, to stay informed.
eggfarmers.ca
10 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER 2016
6471_EFC_Fresh_FoodService_PrintAd.indd 1
Shelley Robinson is the new executive chef at Gateway Casinos & Entertainment’s Grand Villa Edmonton, located in the heart of the Ice district (Canada’s largest mixeduse sports and entertainment district). Robinson brings more than 20 years of experience in the foodservice industry, most recently as executive chef for Coast Hotels in Vancouver…Chef Tommy McHugh is the new executive chef at STK Toronto, the highly anticipated upscale steak house in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood.
SUPPLY SIDE
Maple Leaf Foods recently announced its new line-up of poultry and pork in both fresh and prepared options. The new products are sourced from 100-per-cent vegetarian-fed animals, raised on Canadian farms, and are free of antibiotics and hormones… Tomlinson Industries has introduced a new 3.5-inch (89 mm) diameter mini cast-iron skillet, which offers a delicate spin on a cast-iron classic. These pre-seasoned miniature pieces provide a cook-and-serve solution for dips, desserts and sauces and are perfect for the small plate or communaldining concept.
2016-10-06 10:02 AM
FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
FROM THE DESK OF ROBERT CARTER
WHAT’S FOR BREAKFAST?
Demand for convenient, portable breakfast items is driving sales for the daypart
IMAGE: DREAMSTIME.COM
I
t’s been commonly touted as the most important meal of the day; the one meal you simply can’t afford to miss. However, with the hustle-and-bustle of today’s modern world, many of us skip breakfast — opting instead for an extra cup of coffee or an early lunch. Those who do make time for an early morning meal are increasingly looking to foodservice operators to provide quality, affordable options that are convenient and easy to fit into a busy schedule. So it’s no surprise the breakfast daypart has grown amongst Canadian consumers. In fact, according to NPD’s CREST foodservice market research, breakfast traffic has grown by nine per cent compared to a year ago. This increase has been driven in large part by QSR and fastcasual operators who have found a way to tap into the minds and wallets of consumers looking for quality breakfast options to start their day of right. While the overall daypart has experienced strong growth over the last year, there are certain breakfast items that are performing better than others. According to NPD data, breakfast sandwiches are one of the fastest-growing morning-food options, with servings increasing by more than 10 per cent year-over-year. Many foodservice operators are taking advantage of this trend by introducing innovative breakfast sandwich options, which include fresh, quality ingredi-
ents that are easy to eat on the go. Another breakfast favourite that has grown in popularity over the last few years is home fries, or hash browns as they are sometimes called. They are now one of the top five food categories at breakfast. Once again, many operators have taken note of this trend and have introduced homefries to the breakfast menu. In fact, some operators have gone one step further and integrated homefries into other breakfast items, such as breakfast sandwiches with a hash brown layer.
breakfast time, convenience and portability are perhaps even more critical, especially for busy consumers. Breakfast options that are portable and convenient are becoming more popular with consumers who are timedstrapped and tend to eat in transit. And while innovation is important, it’s the breakfast staples — breakfast sandwiches, hash browns/home fries, eggs, bacon/sausage and bagels — that remain most popular with Canadian consumers today — so much so that they are ranked in the top five breakfast categories in foodservice, suggesting that winning at the breakfast game is most often a matter of serving up common ingredients in a quick, easy and affordable way. l
BREAKFAST ON THE RUN
While quality and innovation are key at
Robert Carter is executive director, Foodservice Canada, with the NPD Group Inc. He can be reached at robert.carter@npd.com for questions regarding the latest trends and their impact on the foodservice business. FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER 2016
11
FOOD FILE
A WINNING
FORMULA HOW SUSTAINABLY SOURCED FISH OR SEAFOOD IS PREPARED AND SERVED IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS WHERE IT COMES FROM STORY BY ANDREW COPPOLINO
T
he concept of sustainable fish and seafood may seem as difficult to navigate as our oceans and lakes are deep and dark, the phrase tossed about like a cork on the waves. But what is “sustainability” and should sustainable fish and seafood be a part of your restaurant’s menu? DEFINING SUSTAINABILITY
FEAST FOR THE EYES How sustainable ingredients are prepared and presented carries as much weight with customers as where they’re sourced
12 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER 2016
Fish and seafood can be wild-caught or farmed. Whether wild-caught fish and seafood is sustainable or not can be determined by examining the general health of a species and its vulnerability in the face of fishing and harvesting. Other considerations include the population of the species and fishing rates; how fishing impacts habitat and the marine environment; and whether stocks are managed in a way that values
long-term health over short-term economic benefit. What constitutes sustainable practices differs when it comes to farmed or aquaculture fish and seafood. Attention must be paid to responsible use of wild marine resources in feeding farmed species; safe-net pens that prevent escapes into wild populations; control of waste discharges; ensuring diseases and parasites do not enter wild populations; aquaculture systems that do not pollute adjacent ecosystems; and controlling the risks involved with a relatively new production modality of significant size and volume. Gathering all of this information requires time and painstaking research, but there are organizations that can help. Ocean Wise and the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) rely on scientific study and estimations of fish stocks, as well as the general health of aquatic ecosystems, both wild and farmed, and publish updated releases indicating the current status of various species and FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
whether they are “good” or “bad” selections — or whether they should be avoided altogether. SeaChoice is another organization with the mandate to inform consumers and businesses about environmentally sound fishing practices. It has the imprimatur of several ecological organizations, including the Sierra Club and David Suzuki Foundation. Not all organizations coordinate completely; for instance, Ocean Wise may not recognize all certifications made by Marine Stewardship Council.
IMAGES: DREAMSTIME.COM
MEETING CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS
Sustainable menu choices offer a number of benefits — even for restaurants not located on any body of water. Guelph, Ont.-based The Neighbourhood Group of Companies (NGC), which operates The Woolwich Arrow, Borealis Grillehouse & Bar and Miijidaa Café + Bistro has been dedicated to local food and sustainability since the 1990s. It recently became a certified “B Corps” for social and environmental performance — one of the largest restaurant groups to gain the designation. Co-owner Court Desautels relies on the scientific guidance of Ocean Wise and Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch to answer a simple question: “Is what we’re taking from the water being replenished at the same or a faster rate? I trust the biologists to give us that information,” Desautels says. Using suppliers Organic Ocean of Vancouver and John O Foods in Wheatley, Ont., Desautels considers ethics, too. “Where is the FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
fish raised? Where is it coming from?” he asks. “Wild fish live in their natural habitat and are able to roam free and live their lives. Mother Nature raises them.” With seven B.C. locations, U.S.-owned The Boathouse restaurants are situated in unique environments and sustainability would seem paramount. Corporate chef Brent Fisher notes that although Boathouse locations offer sustainable seafood items guided by Ocean Wise, it often makes purchasing decisions based on common sense. “[Wild Pacific] halibut is a so-called sustainable fishery, but we go a step beyond that. We used to highlight it on our menu, but it has become a more expensive and smaller fish. We still feature it but are slowly removing it and using fish we feel are more sustainable,” says Fisher who has been with the company since 2004. Customers haven’t directly insisted on sustainable products, Fisher acknowledges, but says the market has been moving towards sustainability — along with hormone-free and steroidfree foods. “Seafood took that turn a while ago and it continues to be a dynamic situation,” he says. “I don’t see people demanding it as much as expecting it.” Similarly, at Toronto’s Scaramouche, the kitchen cares about the provenance of its ingredients and looks to Ocean Wise, but doesn’t burden the menu with too much information. According to chef de cuisine Carolyn Reid, it simply isn’t a selling point with customers. “We do mention that our halibut FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER 2016
13
FOOD FILE is from the west coast and that the sea bass is from Europe. But we’re not overly specific about it,” Reid notes of these Ocean Wise sustainable species. While salmon is a popular fish for a broad range of consumers — a cursory glance of the seafood counter at your grocery store will confirm that — restaurants such as Storms on the River in Kamloops, B.C. search for more interesting sustainable products. Owners Heather Morgan and Alex Lange explain that about 95 per cent of the fish and seafood at the 120seat restaurant is Ocean Wisecertified. Morgan, who is a chef, states that serving sustainable, seasonal seafood is, in her words, the “right thing” to do. “It means making sure our oceans can keep reproducing and living properly together and fishing in a proper way. I think seasonality is important too,” she says. At one time, she served west coast mussels, but when the source was impacted by red tide, they simply took mussels off the menu, rather than getting them from the east coast. “I like to keep everything within a small radius,” she says. When Morgan introduced local prawns to the menu, it was a move she says was both more sustainable than shipments from Thailand and more interesting for customers. “Most
FARM TO FORK
A sustainable alternative to commercially dredged scallops, farmed scallops cause none of the environmental damage that usually results from bottom dredging and no capture of other species at harvest. A hybrid of the Weathervane scallop and Japanese scallop, Qualicum Bay scallops grow in nets, which are suspended in 10 metres of water in low lations. With regard to environmental sustainability, significantly high carbon dioxide levels in the Strait of Georgia resulted in increased pH levels, which killed 10 million scallops in 2014. One company, Island Scallops, lost 95 per cent of its Qualicum crop. A Prince Rupert producer will have Great Bear scallops ready for harvest in 2017, and will join Qualicum Bay scallops as a sustainable option.
14 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER 2016
TO GO
Ocean Wise and Chef’s Plate have recently become partners in advancing the idea of sustainable fish and seafood — helping customers prepare nutritious meals at home quickly and efficiently. Ocean Wise guides consumers and industry professionals alike in selecting sustainable seafood that is “Ocean Wise Recommended,” “Not Recommended,” or “Under Review.” Toronto-based Chef’s Plate, a relatively new and rapidly growing online business, delivers pre-packed meal kits that include healthy, responsibly sourced product — including sustainable fish and seafood — to customers at home. According to its website, Daniel Henderson, director of Culinary and Strategic Sourcing at Chef’s Plate, says the company works with Ocean Wise to ensure what it serves customers is sourced from well-managed fisheries. A key component of sustainability is responsibility in controlling waste — something restaurants know well — and Chef’s Plate portions are designed to reduce waste.
people have no idea that there are humpback and sidestripe shrimp and all these great-tasting prawns right here in our own waters.” The restaurant’s recent “Spot Prawn Week” featured fisherman-delivered live, jumping prawns that were a hit with customers. SERVING UP KNOWLEDGE
Educating customers about seasonality and locality is a priority at Storms, and Morgan says serving fish and seafood in its prime season and at maturity means more flavour. “They can be tasteless when they are too young and out of season. We have so many different types of fish here, and we want to use them.” Location can also drive the contents of a menu and for Boathouse, FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
IMAGE: DREAMSTIME.COM
densities — producing minimal waste and putting no pressure on wild popu-
SUSTAINABILITY
Canada’s Leader in Wild Sustainable Seafood with over 90% of our catch MSC certified or in a FIP (Fisheries Improvement Project) Call: 1 866 782 6244
FOOD FILE
FRESH FLAVOURS Sustainably sourced salmon and halibut grilled with red and yellow peppers
BY THE NUMBERS The largest-ever global survey of attitudes towards seafood consumption, carried out by GlobeScan on behalf of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), uncovered encouraging findings among Canadian seafood consumers. Overall, the survey showed Canadians are tuned in to sustainability and care about it when purchasing fish. The survey also found: n Canadian seafood consumers place sustainabil-
ity before price and brand as a purchase driver n Nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) of Canadian
seafood consumers agree that in order to save the oceans, shoppers should only consume seafood from sustainable sources. n 68 per cent agree a brand’s claims about
sustainability should be labelled by an independent organization n 66 per cent want to know the fish they buy can
be traced back to a known and trusted source n 57 per cent are more likely to trust where a
seafood product comes from if it has an ecolabel on it n Almost half (46 per cent) would be willing to
pay more for certified sustainable fish/seafood SOURCE: MARINE STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL
know your source visit us
proudly roudly partnering with
IMAGE: DREAMSTIME.COM
that means sockeye salmon features prominently — when it’s in season, it will prepare about 8,000-lbs of sockeye salmon per week; it’s a fish that goes into five of its top 10 dishes. Fisher agrees that’s a large number to contemplate in the context of sustainability, noting there might not be a commercial sockeye run on the Fraser River this year. The restaurant will therefore lookAdtofinal.pdf mixed of seafood, November Foodservice 1 grills 10/12/2016 1:23:20 PM which mirror dining trends of customers
seeking smaller plates and eating multiple appetizers. “You can get anything in season flown to you fresh basically any day of the week, but local makes it more sustainable, obviously, because of the environmental impact of shipping something across the world,” Fisher says. Interruptions in supply can actually boost creativity. For example, when sockeye salmon couldn’t be found, Desautels’ Borealis Grille restaurants switched to species such as coho salmon or lingcod rather than switch to farmraised salmon. “That’s the exciting part for the kitchen and the dining room; guests get to try something different and the cooks get to learn about cooking a new fish,” he says.
SEAFOOD MAKES IT SIZZLE IT’S TIME TO CELEBRATE SEAFOOD Impressing today’s consumer takes innovation. That’s why we’ve evolved from being an expert on sourcing quality seafood from around the globe, to becoming the partner you can trust to deliver a world of possibilities for giving customers the tastes they crave. We’re High Liner Culinary and we’re here to make seafood the hottest thing on your menu. highlinerculinary.com
SEAFOOD IS BETTER™
© 2016 High Liner Foods. All rights reserved.
FOOD FILE QUALITY COUNTS
The utility of a cut of protein and getting every last gram of value out of it is crucial to any restaurant. Scaramouche’s Reid states that margins are always a concern across the board, citing a hefty 30 per cent jump in beef prices in the last couple of years. “You have to use ingredients wisely, or charge accordingly. Or both,” she says.
Sustainable products do cost more and may taper margins, concedes Fisher; the corollary is that they are better products and are part of a supply chain that cares about quality. “A sustainable option over a non-sustainable option is going to be better quality.” He admits the restaurant could use less-expensive shrimp, but adds it has never explored using a lower-quality product.
THINK OUTSIDE THE SHELL Despite higher ingredient costs, sustainable fish and seafood is becoming the star of many favourite dishes such as fish tacos (top) and fish cakes, answering customer demand for more responsibly sourced menu items
18 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER 2016
FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
IMAGE: DREAMSTIME.COM
When he can source sockeye, Desautels pays more but says he’s not pricing himself out of the market and customers appreciate quality. “I can buy farm-raised salmon for about $10 per pound. We pay $15 per pound for sockeye, but there’s a better story with it and it is a better ingredient,” he says. When the kitchen receives a whole fish, they make several unique dishes that cover the cost of the fillet. “Whether that is a chowder, fish cakes or fish tacos, we’re using every bit of the fish.” Finally, how any sustainable fish or seafood is prepared and served is important. The comparison Desautels makes is to properly cooking grain-fed compared to grass-fed beef. “There are two questions a customer can ask about a restaurant serving seafood,” he says. “Are they making the right choices in terms of sustainability and can they cook the fish and seafood properly? If you can get that right, you have a winning formula.” l
elevate your menu with lobster
Clearwater’s Nova Scotia Prime frozen raw lobster meat is the perfect addition to any menu. A fine dining treat for your guests, available in a variety of shell-on and shell-off formats. Use Nova Scotia Prime raw lobster meat anytime with year-round availability, any place with frozen storage and any way across a variety of temperature and cook methods. 905.858.9514 | cdnsales@clearwater.ca
clearwater.ca
PROFILE
Chef Shane Robilliard champions home-grown, sustainable menus for East Coast diners STORY BY DENISE DEVEAU PHOTOGRAPHY BY GEORGE KLASS
SHANE ROBILLIARD says he’s a lucky man. “Most chefs start their day picking up a coffee. I get to go fishing,” says the director of Food and Beverage at Fox Harb’r Resort in Wallace, N.S. “Seafood doesn’t get more sustainable than that.” Robilliard is the purveyor of the five-star resort’s Cape Cliff Dining Room, which has the distinction of being Atlantic Canada’s first seafood restaurant to be Ocean Wise-certified. It’s all part of an overall sustainability play on the expansive property overlooking the Northumberland Strait. 20 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER 2016
FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
Long passionate about sustainable food practices, Robilliard came to Fox Harb’r for the 2015 season from B.C. following a successful career with Fairmont properties in Vancouver, San Francisco and Whistler. He also served as chair of the BC Restaurant and Foodservice Association until 2010, when he moved to Halifax. “My drive, my philosophy, is 100 per cent using locally sourced, fresh, seasonal ingredients,” he says. “Growing up on the west coast it was all about protecting seafood stocks and the oceans. So it’s something I’ve always been excited about and wanted to be a part of.” When time allows, Robilliard’s first order of the day is to visit one FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
of the property’s well-stocked trout pounds for a few relaxing minutes of fly fishing. Each pond is home to upwards of 3,000 female fish, of which he only captures about 300 per season. “Since they are not a native species, we don’t want them to propagate,” he says. This year the resort added 1,100 trout to the pond, which are purchased from North River Fish Farm in nearby Truro. Robilliard likes to keep his food preparations relatively simple, letting the beauty and freshness of the seafood shine through in dishes such as pan-seared trout served with couscous and beurre blanc vegetables. The Cape Cliff Dining Room, which operates from May 1 to Oct. FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER 2016
21
PROFILE 31, is a 90-seat restaurant serving breakfast and dinner. It features an ocean-themed blue-toned decor, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering panoramic views of the golf course and sea coast. “I would challenge anyone to find a nicer view in Atlantic Canada,” he says. Robilliard also oversees The Willard, a small home-style kitchen and 40-seat dining setting in the Sporting Lodge, as well as in-room catering. Cape Cliff opened 15 years ago during the original construction of the site, but only received its sustainability certification this year following Robilliard’s arrival. While initially the clientele tended to be resort guests, the restaurant is slowly building a larger base of customers. “We now have a 10-year plan in place to grow the resort and the restaurant operation,” he says. “This year, business is up 20 per cent over last year, and we’re super happy about that.” Depending on availability, the expansive menu includes pan-seared fresh Digby scallops, bay oysters on the half shell, Atlantic salmon Carpaccio, lobster timbale or ravioli, sesame-seared loin of albacore tuna, line-caught halibut, maple-smoked trout or Robilliard’s signature seafood chowder and lobster bisque. During lobster season, Robilliard is happy to cater a traditional boiled-lobster dinner — complete with favourite down-East desserts such as blueberry grunt or strawberry shortcake made with wild berries picked locally. Robilliard even makes his own preserves. Prices range from $35 to $55 for mains; $15 to $21 for appetizers; and $12 for desserts. Not only does the menu feature spectacular seafood, but also vegetables grown in the property’s own greenhouses. “Our menu is varied,” Robilliard explains. “We raise our own pheasants and we offer beef, chicken and other proteins.” The restaurant also boasts one of the best wine lists in the province and has been a recipient of a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. Since coming to the East Coast, Robilliard has worked to build the Ocean Wise brand and overall awareness of sustainable fishing practices. “The East Coast has certainly seen examples of what can happen when you don’t take care of fisheries — the collapse of the cod and wild Atlantic salmon populations.” The Maritimes’ lobster fisheries are an interesting dichotomy, he says. “This region operates one of the world’s most well-managed, sustainable fisheries on the planet. That’s a totally opposite side of the picture.” Although Ocean Wise only requires one sustainable seafood item on the menu, Robilliard is determined to find suppliers across the board — from lobster to caviar. “I don’t serve any seafood that isn’t Ocean Wise. The good news is, it’s becoming easier to get suppliers as word gets around and I keep adding items as I find them,” he says. His lobster is delivered by Chase’s Lobster Limited in Pugwash, N.S., while he sources caviar from Acadian Caviar Limited in New Brunswick. He has also managed to find a local supplier of farm-raised scallops (Indian Point Mussels) and another for Atlantic salmon, Sustainable Blue. “What makes Sustainable Blue unique is the fish are raised on land in salt water tanks,” he explains. “There’s no way these fish can escape and mingle with wild salmon. That prevents potential parasites and diseases from affecting other fish. The other benefit is that in ocean pens, only seven per cent of feed is consumed and the rest falls to the sea floor. In a contained unit, water is recycled so there’s no waste going into the oceans.” For lobster, Ocean Wise stipulates one trap per line compared to the typical three. “That helps to prevent bycatch or traps breaking free,” Robilliard explains.
22 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER 2016
He only buys farmed scallops because the harvesting process prevents by-catch and destruction of the ocean floor caused by dredging. Given the bounty of seafood in the region, one would think tapping into sustainable suppliers would be simple. Yet Robilliard says he has faced significant challenges. “Everything is hard to get here — we’re two hours from anywhere. So our weekend order has to serve as our week’s supply.” Orders are placed on Sunday — allowing two days for harvesting — and delivered on Wednesday. “Fish is never out [of the water] more than 24 hours before it gets to me,” he says. Competition for sustainable products can also be fierce. For example, according to Ocean Wise guidelines, swordfish must be harpooned. But the local fishery only lands around 600 a year, and people pay more than what they’re worth, Robilliard says. “As soon as they land, they’re off to Maine. So even a product caught right here has more attractive markets outside the province.” Robilliard often turns to company reps, such as Halifax-based Afishionado, which runs a seafood retail and wholesale program. Owner Hana Nelson says Ocean Wise is starting to gain recognition in the area. But that doesn’t mean suppliers are not following Ocean Wise practices. “Some products we carry are Ocean Wise farmed but haven’t had an official assessment done. There’s not as much brand recognition here, but we’re working on developing that awareness and working with restaurateurs and suppliers to help them understand what [the brand] can do for their business.” She confirms that getting local product before it moves outside the region can be difficult. “It’s a challenge in the Maritimes to grow premium markets. Most products get exported to areas willing to pay for that quality.” However, chefs and consumers alike are becoming more aware of what they have in their own backyard and how to celebrate it, she says. “There’s a big push for products that are fished in a way that they want them fished and farmed. People want to know where their products are coming from and how they are treated.” Suppliers themselves are gaining stellar reputations and helping the cause. “For example, there’s no other product like Sustainable Blue salmon on the market in North America,” Nelson says. “It’s completely contained and 98 per cent of the water is recirculated — that’s far different from what is happening in open-cage pens. The only other land-based salmon farm that I know of is Kuterra on the West Coast.” Robilliard says he’s still in the early stages of spreading the word about Ocean Wise. “We’re really starting to build a reputation locally. It’s important that chefs, and the people who supply the food, take the steps needed to help protect our ocean stocks.” Next year, he is looking forward to hosting one of his food heroes, Ned Bell, now the corporate chef for Ocean Wise, who spends a great deal of time travelling across Canada raising awareness for sustainability and fish stocks. Bell, who is also the founder of Chefs for Oceans, says chefs hold a great deal of power in this quest. “Chefs are like doctors — people believe what they say because they are directly connected to the food we love. Guys like Shane are doing a fantastic job of getting people to listen and is certainly a leader in Eastern Canada from a culinary perspective.” l FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
HOSPITALITY MARKET REPORT
TUMULTUOUS
OPERATORS CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE FOR MARKET SHARE AS FOO STORY BY AMY BOSTOCK ILLUSTRATION BY MARGARET MOORE
C
anadian foodservice operators likely experienced a feeling of déjà vu this year, as the 2016 restaurant landscape closely mirrored that of 2015. But while growth remained flat, QSRs continued to steal share and millennials continued to be the driving force behind restaurant innovation, 2016 did bring with it some new challenges as well.
24 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER 2016
“As a whole, [2016] can be classified as a tumultuous marketplace,” says Robert Carter, executive director, Foodservice Canada at the NPD Group in Toronto. “Because we had soft customer traffic, which remained flat, we did see continued pressure around price and menu inflation continued to creep up.” There was also a greater polarization of how people are using the restaurant industry, mainly, the record number of independent restaurant closures in 2016 and a shift to
chain-restaurant concepts as an overall statement. “Independents just don’t have the marketing muscle or resources to battle the big players and it’s really tough to make a go of it unless you have an amazing point of difference and can establish yourself,” says Carter of the shift. Compared to 2015, he says, overall traffic was flat in both years; dollar growth was very similar but the shifting dynamics within the industry were different — from the increased FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
TIMES
DSERVICE SALES GROWTH REMAINS FLAT
popularity of chain concepts to the rise of the digital door and a push for menu innovation. “There was a lot more activity in 2016; it just seemed like there was more stuff going on this year,” he says. According to Chris Elliott, Senior Economist for Restaurants Canada, while 2016 was supposed to be the year of big improvements in terms of overall economic growth, he agrees not much has changed on that front. “Overall, I’d say it’s a very similar
trend to what we saw last year,” he says, citing the impact of weak business investment and modest export growth. “And because of that, we’re not seeing job growth or increases in disposable income. But surprisingly, foodservice sales continue to be quite strong amidst a lot of those challenges.” To understand these economic trends, Elliott says you have to look to the past. “It’s very much economic-driven in terms of what’s happening right now. If you go back 10
years, all the growth was driven by the Prairie Provinces and we didn’t see as much growth in Ontario or B.C.,” he explains. “Now, with this whole change in the economy — where pressed commodity prices have an impact in Alberta and Saskatchewan — we see the growth moving to B.C. and Ontario.” The shift, he says, is thanks in large part to the two provinces’ robust housing markets, strong consumer confidence and high retail spending. “A lot of that spending is FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER 2016
25
HOSPITALITY MARKET REPORT also ending up in restaurants,” says Elliott. In fact, according to Restaurants Canada’s Foodservice Facts 2016 report, restaurant sales represent 27 per cent of Canadian households’ food-and-beverage budget — a share that has changed little since 2010. So, if people are still eating out, why are so many restaurants struggling? According to Carter, it comes down to growth — or lack of it. “In a market that’s not growing in terms of the size or number of people going out to restaurants, it continues to be a steal share game,” he says, adding operators need to understand the mindset of the consumer in order to establish a point of difference. Frequency of restaurant visits is another challenge that continues to plague operators across all segments. “Per-capita consumption has actually decreased by two visits per year, per capita,” says Carter. “We’re just not going out as often.” Elliott agrees, adding high debt level is making people rethink their spending habits. “In Canada, 168 per cent of income is debt,” he says. But he says, people are still not willing to stop eating out entirely. “People still spend on small indulgences — they may cut back on bigger ticket items, but they love going out to restaurants.” Where operators are seeing a difference
is where people choose to eat. According to Carter, there’s been a continued shift this year away from full-service restaurants to either quick-service restaurants or fastcasual concepts. GROWTH OF QSRS
“As people cut back on extras in order to tackle debt, it will most certainly have an adverse effect on foodservice sales in Canada,” says Elliott. To that end, he says QSRs are going to lead all segments of the foodservice industry with forecasted growth of 6.3 per cent ($28,563 million) in 2016 — the strongest growth seen within the foodservice industry this year. “Even in provinces where they’re mired in recession right now, we’re seeing people moving from full-service to QSR.” The Fast-food Restaurants in Canada report, released by U.S.-based IBISWorld in August, shows that during the past five years, the segment has expanded despite changing consumer tastes. “Since 2011, higher consumer spending and product innovation by fast-food restaurants has renewed consumer interest in fast-food,” says Andrew Alvarez, industry research analyst at IBISWorld and author of the report. “Products with higher profit mar-
gins, such as coffee, smoothies and salads, have become more prominent at traditional fast-food restaurants, leading to an increase in the average industry profit margin.” Customization and high-quality ingredients have become increasingly important with Canadian consumers, leading major QSR players to reconsider overall strategy and menu offerings. “The QSR segment continues to be the leader from an industry standpoint and that’s being led by the innovation coming out of Tim Hortons and McDonald’s as they expand beyond their core offerings,” says Carter. “Starbucks has also put an increased focus on its food and even Wendy’s is getting into the game with some interesting menu innovations (the Pretzel Burger, Grilled Chicken Sandwich and Tacolicious Salad).” A&W, which closed out 2015 with gross sales of $1.1 million, continues to record strong gains with its raised-without-hormones or antibiotics claims. In September, Subway announced it has removed artificial colours, flavours and preservatives from 28 menu items. The chain also added turkey, chicken and roast beef to its growing roster of ingredients featuring the ‘free from’ claim. The changes are part of Subway Restaurants’ commitment to remove all artificial colours, flavours and preservatives by 2017.
SALES FORECAST FOR 2016
2014 Final (millions of dollars)
% Change ’14/’13
2015 Preliminary (millions of dollars)
% Change ’15/’14
2016 Forecast (millions of dollars)
% Change ’16/’15
Quick-service restaurants
$25,332.5
5.6%
$26,835.2
5.9%
$26,186.7
5.0%
Full-service restaurants
$25,086.9
5.8%
$25,925.4
3.3%
$27,034.5
4.3%
Caterers
$4,876.1
6.3%
$5,094.2
4.5%
$5,254.8
3.2%
Drinking places
$2,292.4
-0.4%
$2,181.7
-4.8%
$2,166.8
-0.7%
$57,588.0
5.5%
$60,036.5
4.3%
$62,642.7
4.3%
Accommodation foodservice
$5,909.0
5.1%
$6,090.0
3.1%
$6,359.0
4.4%
Institutional foodservice
$4,342.0
2.7%
$4,452.6
2.5%
$4,559.3
2.4%
Retail foodservice
$1,636.8
21.1%
$1,784.6
9.0%
$1,848.8
3.7%
Other foodservice
$2,484.0
2.8%
$2,558.5
3.0%
$2,630.1
2.8%
TOTAL NON-COMMERCIAL
$14,371.8
5.5%
$14,885.7
3.6%
$15,397.3
3.4%
TOTAL FOODSERVICE
$71,959.8
5.5%
$74,922.2
4.1%
$78,040.0
4.2%
TOTAL COMMERCIAL
Menu inflation
2.0%
2.8%
2.7%
REAL GROWTH
3.5%
1.3%
1.5%
SOURCE: RESTAURANTS CANADA, STATISTICS CANADA, ISSTRATEGY INC. AND CBRE HOTELS
26 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER 2016
FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
FAST FACT
AVERAGE ANNUAL SALES GROWTH FORECAST (2017 to 2020)
Caterers
Fast-casual operators recorded
4.2%
$987.5 million in annual sales in 2014 according to Technomic’s
Quick-service restaurants
“Top 200 Canadian Chains
4.0%
Restaurant Report,” an increase of 8.4 per cent in sales over the previous year. Leading the charge are restaurants offering ethnic cuisines such as Asian
Full-service restaurants
or Mexican. Fast-casual pizza
concepts experienced the most
3.9%
significant increase, with a 121-per-cent growth in sales in the latest year-over-year period,
Total sales
followed by Mexican (up 10.7 per
3.9%
cent) and burgers, which recorded an 8.6-per-cent increase in sales. “Fast-casual is still seeing growth,” says Chris Elliott,
Drinking places
Senior Economist for Restaurants
0.1%
Canada. “It’s one of those trends that are still quite strong because people are looking for fresh, less processed, higher-quality food
Restaurants Canada employs an econometric model to forecast commercial foodservice sales by using the Conference Board of Canada’s forecast of disposable income, real GDP, employment and tourism. SOURCE: Restaurants Canada’ Quarterly Forecast NOTE: Data are unadjusted for menu inflation.
According to Alvarez, the QSR segment’s consistent growth is expected to continue over the next five years — at a slower pace — due mainly to faltering consumer confidence amid volatile commodity markets and uncertain economic conditions. FULL-SERVICE FAILINGS
The rising popularity of QSR is putting pressure on the full-service restaurant segment, which is expected to see modest fiveper-cent growth in 2016 ($27,957 million). Foodservice Facts 2016 shows 60 per cent of FSR revenues are generated by independent operators and with a substantial decline in the number of independents (down 25 per cent since 2009), the segment continues to struggle. According to the IBISWorld’s Full-service Restaurants in Canada report, industry growth has been subdued as consumers seek more for their money when spending at restaurants. “Quick-service restaurants have outperformed full-service restaurants due to their more affordable prices and superior FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
choices.”
CUMULATIVE PER CAPITA COMMERCIAL FOODSERVICE SALES GROWTH (Between 2006 and 2015) Newfoundland & Labrador
66.8% 48.8%
Saskatchewan Ontario
33.1%
Nova Scotia
32.4% 29.8%
Manitoba
25.8%
Canada New Brunswick Alberta
19.8% 18.1%
British Columbia
16.7%
Quebec
16.4%
Prince Edward Island
16.3%
SOURCE: Statistics Canada NOTE: Data are unadjusted for menu inflation but adjusted for population growth.
FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER 2016
27
HOSPITALITY MARKET REPORT
KEY STATISTICS SNAPSHOT Fast-food Restaurants in Canada 2016 Revenue
$22.5b Profit
$1.2b Annual Growth 11-16
1.8% Wages
$6.4b Annual Growth 16-21
1.1% Businesses
16,102 SOURCE: IBIS WORLD FAST-FOOD RESTAURANTS IN CANADA REPORT, AUGUST 2016
product development. Along with slow revenue growth, operators have been put under pressure by rising food prices, which have negatively impacted profit margins.” In 2016, the report cites shaky consumer confidence as the main factor holding the industry back from realizing its full growth potential; however, healthy gains in corporate profit are expected to contribute to industry growth of 2.2 per cent over the year. “That said, the growth within that segment is coming from the premium casualdining brands,” says Carter. “We’re seeing good growth for places such as Cactus Club, Earls, Joey’s, Browns Socialhouse and Moxies. Where we see softness is among restaurants such as Boston Pizza and Kelsey’s — operators which are very similar in their styles and continue to have challenges in the marketplace.” Elliott says geography also plays a big role for operators in this segment. “It really depends on where in the country you are,” he says. “You might see some that are doing quite well, such as Quebec, Ontario
COMMERCIAL FOODSERVICE SALES CANADA (Millions of Dollars)
2015
2016f
$26,870.3 6.7% $26,626.0 4.5% $5,312.9 4.6% $2,289.3 -2.1% $61,098.5 5.2% 1.389 2.8% $43,979.5 2.4%
$28,563.1 6.3% $27,957.3 5.0% $5,435.1 2.3% $2,371.7 3.6% $64,327.3 5.3% 1.427 2.7% $45,086.3 2.5%
Quick-service restaurants % CHANGE
Full-service restaurants % CHANGE
Caterers % CHANGE
Drinking Places % CHANGE
Total Sales % CHANGE
CPI-FAFH % CHANGE
Real Sales (in 2002$) % CHANGE
SOURCE: RESTAURANTS CANADA
2017f $29,734.2 4.1% $29,075.6 4.0% $5,663.4 4.2% $2,407.3 1.5% $66,880.5 4.0% 1.461 2.4% $45,777.1 1.5%
QSR Market Share McDonald’s Corp.
14.2% Subway
6.1% Yum! Brands Inc.
5.7% SOURCE: IBIS WORLD FAST-FOOD RESTAURANTS IN CANADA REPORT, AUGUST 2016
and B.C., but in Saskatchewan we’ve seen declines in FSR sales (down one per cent).” GRAB AND GO
The retail meal solution category continues to see strong growth, recording an increase of 3.5 per cent at grocery stores and an impressive five per cent at convenience stores last year, according to data from Chicago-based Technomic. “People continue to look for convenience and one of the challenges we’ve seen is competition from Costco and WalMart-type stores,” says Elliott. To counter, traditional grocery stores such as Loblaw’s and Metro are reexamining their value propositions and offering “meal deals” to draw customers in. “It’s a very price-driven segment aimed at getting people into the stores,” says Elliott, adding one of the biggest issues that restaurants continue to face is competition from grocery stores. DAYPART BREAK-DOWN
With consumers always pressed for time, it’s no surprise the breakfast daypart continues to be the darling of the industry. Data from the NPD Group shows breakfast currently holds an 18.1 per cent share of all restaurant visits and 13.3 per cent of dollars. “It’s one of the driving trends in restaurants right now — people are looking for convenience. The growth in breakfast sandwiches, for example, has been amazing. A lot of that is just because people are looking for portability — they can eat at their desk or while they’re driving.” “We expect that in 2017, [breakfast] will continue to be the growth-driver in the industry,” predicts Carter. “But we’re also starting to feel a little more traction around the lunch daypart —particularly with a fast-casual segment that’s geared towards lunch.”
28 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER 2016
FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
Mini Cheeseburger Pizza
Classic Lasagna
Savoury Bocconcini S’mores
For more information visit www.gaylea.com/foodservice or call 905-283-5222 (toll free: 1-888-268-0508)
HOSPITALITY MARKET REPORT This struggle is not new; supper traffic has been declining steadily in recent years as a weak economy curbs spending and an abundance of pre-cooked and prepared options have become available at grocery stores. But, says Elliott, although this daypart has dropped to a 22.8 per cent share of traffic, it still accounts for the highest share of dollars (38.6 per cent).
CONSUMER CONFIDENCE INDEX 88 85
Index
82 79 76 73
THE DIGITAL DOOR
70
As smartphone ownership increases in Canada, (to 57 per cent — well above the global average of 42 per cent), digital innovation is showing up across the foodservice industry. What Carter coins the “digital door” (any customer who accesses a restaurant through the Internet or mobile device) may currently account for a mere two per cent of restaurant traffic but it’s growing at more than 20 per cent annually. “In fact,
Year ’08 ’10 ’12 ’14 ’16 ’18 ’20 ’22 SOURCE: IBIS WORLD FAST-FOOD RESTAURANTS IN CANADA REPORT, AUGUST 2016
He says while some casual operators are looking at pricing strategies to capitalize on the growing lunch daypart, it’s dinner that continues to be the really challenged area of the marketplace. “It’s hitting operators in the mushy-middle/casual-dining segment hard and it’s hitting operators who aren’t evolving.”
digital-door traffic has tripled over the last four years,” he says. McDonald’s, which has been leading the charge with its self-order kiosks, was joined this year by the increased penetration of Starbucks order-ahead app, “which is just doing fantastic for them,” notes Carter. Boston Pizza rolled out its MyBP Rewards program (online and in app form) and the launch of the UberEats program in 2015 started to get serious traction in 2016 — a function, Carter says, of the growth that’s coming through digital channels. “[The digital door] is now worth $1 billion in annual sales and is the fastest area of growth in the marketplace as more consumers look at the convenience factor associated with it. It’s starting to define the marketplace and will be highly influential into 2017,” he says. While Carter says he expected digital was going to be a growth area in 2016, he didn’t think it would grow so dramatically. “Nothing in the foodservices area changes so quickly, because consumer behaviour is so engrained, but the digital growth was a lot
Adamo Estate Winery Hockley Valley, ON
YOUR HOSPITALITY BUILDING PARTNER 416.755.2505 x22 bltconstruction.com Toronto - Vancouver
Potatoes. Oil. Sea salt. And crunch. House Cuts® Lattice Chips They’re not just any chip. The ‘holes’ make them light, crunchy and craveable. And with just three simple ingredients – potatoes, vegetable oil and sea salt – Lamb Weston makes great chips even better. To see what’s possible with potatoes and to request a sample call 1 888 593 7866 or visit LambWeston.com
Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
FLAVOURFUL SOLUTIONS
HOSPITALITY MARKET REPORT PRODUCTS AND SERVICES SEGMENTATION (2016) 20.4%
3.1%
Cafeterias and buffets
Off-premise (take-out) limited-service restaurants
32.4%
Drive-thru limited-service restaurants
44.1%
On-premise limited-service restaurants
SOURCE: IBIS WORLD FAST-FOOD RESTAURANTS IN CANADA REPORT, AUGUST 2016
wide range of delicious, well balanced sauces & gravies
more dramatic because of the increased adoption of the idea of ordering food through an app or online. [Adoption] may have seemed to be slow, but it’s just growing gangbusters.” Underlying that is the continued force of the millennial cohort. “They now represent the largest group of restaurant consumers and their influence on the marketplace is being felt on the marketplace from a digital footprint standpoint.” Carter says in 2017 he expects to see a tie-in between digital ordering and the HMR category. “It seems to be the natural next step; the demand from a consumer standpoint is definitely there.” BRIGHT SKIES AHEAD?
the best cost/ t value t/ per serving in the industry
unique seasonings from around the world
“Overall we’re expecting a bit of moderation in foodservice growth for 2017,” says Elliott. “This is really because we’ve seen such strong growth of more than five per cent over the previous four out of five years.” He says he expects growth to follow Conference Board of Canada forecasts for the retail sector: a moderation in consumer spending. “It just cannot continue to grow at such an unsustainable pace,” he stresses. “But once you back out inflation of 2.4 per cent, we’re really only growing at about the same rate as the population.” So when will things look up for the restaurant industry? “It’s going to be hard and we’re years away from that,” says Carter. “In the next five years, growth will continue to be relatively flat; I don’t think we’ll see a lot of progress because in Canada, our population growth is only coming from immigration — we’re not going to see an increase in population. Almost 50 per cent of the population eats out on a daily basis, so are we going to see a big increase in penetration? It’s hard to say. There’s still the economic impact and what that looks like from a household spending point of view.” Carter and Elliott both agree, millennials will be the core driver of the marketplace in the coming years as the boomer generation continues to decline — causing a shift in the population. “The millennials’ eating habits are much different than those of the generations before them, so the FSR segment is going to continue to face challenges and it’s going to be the QSR and the fast-casual that’s going to experience any kind of growth moving forward,” says Carter. l FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
Business WiFi that serves you customer insights.
SmartWiFi 150 at
139
$
95/mo†
• Our fastest business Internet makes sure your business won’t slow down. • Three dedicated connections keep your business separate from customers’ usage. • Custom splash page greets guests, and insightful reports help you identify peak times so you can better manage staff schedules.
shawbusiness.ca/smart150 †On a 3-year term. Prices shown do not include tax. Regular rates subject to change. Not all Shaw Services are available in all regions. Installation fees apply for SmartWiFi and may apply for other Shaw Business services. Rental equipment must be returned to Shaw if any of your services are cancelled. You may not resell any Shaw services. All Shaw services are subject to our Joint Terms of Use and Privacy policy. Shaw Internet, phone and TV services are subject to Shaw’s Acceptable Use policies under Terms of Use.
THE 28TH ANNUAL
December 2, 2016 THE FAIRMONT ROYAL YORK, TORONTO
HOSTED BY
Rosanna Caira Kostuch Media Ltd.
Reetu Gupta Easton’s Group
VISIT KOSTUCHMEDIA.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO PURCHASE TICKETS
ICONS & INNOVATORS
GEORGE COHON, founder of McDonald’s in Canada and Russia, talks about building a QSR empire and burger diplomacy
SERVING UP SMILES McDonald’s Canada is consistantly ranked one of the best places to work (right); F&H editor and publisher Rosanna Caira sits down with George Cohon (below)
INTERVIEW BY ROSANNA CAIRA ROSANNA CAIRA: You were a lawyer in Chicago before buying the rights to McDonald’s in Eastern Canada. What motivated you to leave the field of law for foodservice? GEORGE COHON: I really didn’t
like law. I didn’t like talking to someone and having to keep a record of how long I talked to them and then FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
billing for it. I met Ray Kroc, who is the founder of McDonald’s and he said to me, ‘George, you don’t like law, do you?’ And I said, I don’t. He said, ‘why don’t you come with us?’ And I said, I have no money, Ray, I don’t have any money to come with you. ‘Well, you can scrape together a few bucks,’ he said, which I did and that’s how I got started.
FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER 2016
35
ICONS & INNOVATORS
INDUSTRY ICON George Cohon was the visionary behind bringing the McDonald’s concept to Canada 50 years ago and changed the way Canadians perceived fast-food restaurants
RC: Having never lived in Canada, and not knowing anything about the foodservice industry, what were those early days like? GC: No one knew what McDonald’s was.
RC: When McDonald’s came to Canada, what made the restaurant chain so different from what was already on the market? GC: Ray Kroc made it different. He was my
[Canada] was only the second country that McDonald’s was going in to, so it was hard trying to explain to people what McDonald’s was. Trying to find the first location was tough as well — the first location was in London, Ont., and we chose it because I found a landlord who would build a McDonald’s for us. We’d go to suppliers such as Schneider’s and say, ‘we want you to make our beef patties, here’s the formula you have to follow.’ And they’d say, ‘we won’t follow that formula, we’re Schneider’s, we make what we make.’ So we got our own beef supplier which, in time, probably got bigger than Schneider’s. The early days were tough, but we just opened one store at a time.
mentor and the kind of guy who would drive off a lot at McDonald’s, see a cup and make you stop the car so he could get out, pick up the cup and put it in the trash. He was meticulous in quality, service and cleanliness and the difference McDonald’s had, from day one. We follow the man who changed the whole world by starting McDonald’s. RC: What was the biggest challenge for you in those early days? GC: Getting the proper product; getting the
right employees; talking people into building restaurants for you when you didn’t have a lot of money; growing one chain at a time and building a team of people behind you; building a legendary team of people to help you build things; and having fun at the same time.
GIVING BACK: McHappy Day, the brainchild of McDonald’s Canada founder George Cohon, raises funds to support Ronald McDonald House and other children’s charities. In 2016, McHappy Day raised more than $5 million
RC: Did you have to operate restaurants here differently from the U.S.? Obviously, with a franchise, you have to follow the model. Were there deviations along the way? GC: There were some little things —
BURGERS WITHOUT BORDERS In 1990, after 14 years of red tape, Cohon opened the first McDonald’s location in the former Soviet Union
Canadians like vinegar so we offer vinegar — but one of the big things we did is add a maple leaf underneath the M [of the logo] and now, with 120 countries in the world, the only logo that has something like that is in Canada. I always thought it was very important to say we’re not part of the United States; we’re a separate country.
food you can. When someone comes to McDonald’s, you want the service to be perfect. It’s not always perfect but you want it to be; you strive for that. You want the restaurant to be very, very clean — you don’t want to walk into a McDonald’s or drive on a lot where it’s not tidy — and you want to serve the product at a price people can afford and that will stand the test of time. We’re calling them different things now but I think QSC and V, for a company such as McDonald’s, is just a given.
RC: Can other companies follow that lead in the same way? GC: You can always copy stuff — com-
panies can copy what we do; they can go out and try to imitate what we do but it’s the people who make the difference. In the [McDonald’s] restaurants across the country, the owner/operators have to deliver better than anybody else. You can copy our structure, you can copy our product line — you can do all sorts of things — but to be on top, we have to deliver better on a consistent basis, which we do. RC: Many Canadians have been introduced to the work world though McDonald’s. What do you think is the biggest lesson young people learn at McDonald’s? GC: They learn teamwork, camaraderie and
to work within a framework. They learn work ethics. It’s a great a first job; it’s a dynamite first job. Our CEO, John Betts,, started at McDonald’s in Michigan; Bill Johnson, Louie Mele — they worked their way up in the organization as well, which is great. RC: Tell us a little bit about the corporate culture. What do you think it is that drives the company’s success? GC: It’s sticking to basics. There’s a fierce
competitive nature at McDonald’s — we’re very competitive and we want to win. The sophistication of the company now is probably beyond my depth as the founder of the FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
“
TEAM SPIRIT I don’t know what an icon is, I don’t know what an innovator is; I know how to work with teams of people and so when it comes to a company such as McDonald’s, it’s not any one person who builds it. Over the decades, it’s different people that build it; it’s teams of different people. I accept all the nice things you say about me, but it’s the people I work with that deserve as much credit as I get. Someone has to be the leader and I guess I was for a long time, but it’s teams of people — never forget that.
“
RC: When McDonald’s expanded to Canada in ’67, much of the company’s success was predicated on QSC&V. Why is that mantra still so relevant? GC: You want to serve the best quality
FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER 2016
37
ICONS & INNOVATORS
HELPING HANDS Ronald McDonald Houses across Canada have helped 29,000 families in the last year by providing a home-awayfrom-home for children awaiting serious surgeries
company — I could look at my Blackberry and see daily sales across the country and current trends — but the driving force of what makes us different is a camaraderie — a sense of working together. There was a great [Ray] Kroc saying: Lead, follow or get the hell out of the way. Another one I really love is, none of us is as good as all of us. It applies to this day, as a team. We’ve got close to 90,000 employees across this country; that’s a lot of people, but the way we get them motivated now is different than what we did back then. RC: How do you think corporate culture has changed? GC: Corporate culture is different now. In
my day, you came to work for a company, you stayed with the same company. Today, it’s a little bit more of a hired-gun mentality — you work for a company, you enjoy yourself, someone comes and [recruits] you and you go to another company. When I
“
You know, we’ve got to fix this coffee thing.’ Those doughnut guys have had it too easy for too long and so [John Betts] says, “Let’s get the best coffee we can make; let’s be sure we brew it properly and serve it hot; let’s be sure the crew and the owner/operators are onside; and let’s, across the country, get people excited.
”
was growing up that didn’t exist. I understand it to a certain extent. For me, what’s important is to ensure that the heart and the soul of the company stays intact, which is a tougher thing to do in this environment, but it’s important. RC: McDonald’s is consistently ranked as one of the best companies to work for. How has the company adapted to appeal to a new generation of workers? GC: We’re up-to-date on what people look
for when they come to work for McDonald’s. We’re keeping current with the times and being an employer that says, “After 10 years of work you get a two-month sabbatical.” You reward people properly. RC: Originally, McDonald’s was a burgers, fries and soda restaurant chain. Today, you have almost every menu item under the sun. There are those who say the company has become all things to all people and has perhaps lost focus. How would you address that? GC: We follow consumer trends. Consumers
want different choices — a family may want to go out for a Big Mac, fries and a Coke but one person says, there’s nothing on the menu that I want. So, you put salads on the menu; you put wraps on the menu; you put different things on the menu. You want to give people choices so that they don’t not come to McDonald’s because there’s limited choice. It makes it a little more complex for the kitchen and it makes the delivery system more complex, but it’s something we have to do. We’re driven by consumers and have to be current with trends. RC: When you look back, what has been the best product innovation for McDonald’s? GC: Two all-beef patties, special sauce, let-
tuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun. Talk as we might about products, a lot of people still go to McDonald’s to get a Big Mac, fries and a Coke. But, there are a lot of great products — the Egg McMuffin, Chicken McNuggets. I remember when we introduced Chicken McNuggets to this country. I had to fly to Ottawa to talk to the then Minister of Agriculture, Donald McDonald, and I said, ‘I don’t think you
38 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER 2016
FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
have enough chicken in this country to meet our needs, so if we run out of chicken will you allow me to import chicken from the U.S. or anywhere else?’ And he said, ‘we have plenty of chicken but I will allow you to.’ And we had to — we had to because the product was so successful. RC: When you’re running a chain that’s almost 1,500 units large, how do you keep the restaurants from becoming stale or predictable? GC: We call it the three-legged stool —
company employees, suppliers and owner/ operators — and if you have a three-legged stool and one of the legs breaks, it falls over. Eighty per cent of the restaurants are owned by individual owner/operators, so I like to think of us as a small business all across the country, where the individual owner/operators run it. They may have one store, or they may have 10, but you keep it fresh by getting that group on-side. It’s not easy; you’ve got to be careful you don’t get into a “we-versusthem” mentality. It’s an “us” mentality, you do things in sync and we’re able to do it now with 1,500 restaurants because of
FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
that mentality. RC: Breakfast has become a very highly competitive market and you’ve always been a big part of it with the Egg McMuffin. But in the last few years, coffee has become an important product. Has it changed the company in terms of the focus? GC: Oh yes, it has. The first time I met
John Betts, we sat at a McDonald’s on Bloor Street just off of Avenue Road and he says, You know, we’ve got to fix this coffee thing. Those doughnut guys have had it too easy for too long and so he says, ‘Let’s get the best coffee we can make; let’s be sure we brew it properly and serve it hot; let’s be sure the crew and the owner/ operators are onside; and let’s, across the country, get people excited.’ We gave out millions and millions of cups of free coffee and all of sudden consumers say, my God, you’ve got great coffee, we better come in for breakfast at McDonald’s. And so that drives a big change across the entire spectrum — breakfast sales and coffee sales go up.
BUILDING A LEGACY George Cohon was the recipient of F&H’s inaugural Man of the Year award in 1988 (above); Cohon, pictured with president and CEO John Betts, has spent nearly 50 years building a legacy of caring
FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER 2016
39
ICONS & INNOVATORS RC: You were instrumental in taking McDonald’s to the former Soviet Union. How did that happen? What was the biggest lessons you learned in that endeavour? GC: It started at the Montreal Olympics in
’76. I got a call from the Canadian government, wanting to borrow my custom coach for the delegates from the U.S.S.R. We took them for a snack at McDonald’s on SaintCatherines and Atwater, which is right across from the Forum in Montreal. The line-ups were huge and they thought the concept was wonderful. That started an odyssey, which took a long time to get done. There were levels of pessimism that I fought for 14 years before we opened in 1990. We took out an ad in one newspaper one time: “Come and work for McDonald’s, we pay based on productivity.” We got 27,000 responses to one ad, interviewed nearly all of them and hired a first crew of 640. On opening day, that McDonald’s in Moscow, Pushkin Square, served 34,000 people. It’s still the busiest McDonald’s in the world. Was it worthwhile to wait 14 years to open that first store in Moscow? Well, we’ve got 600 stores now, 50,000 employees; we have billions of dollars in sales and make hundreds of millions of dollars in profit. RC: How do you deal with consumer demand for healthy options and increased transparency? GC: You have to be very open; you don’t
hide anything and you tell people what’s in your product line. You can turn over the back of a tray liner [at McDonald’s] and it will tell you how many calories are in there, it will tell you the sodium count; you take the Happy Meal and you offer apple slices instead of french fries. You’re transparent, you’re open, and you do what you can to be as responsible as you can. We use sustainable fish, free-roaming chickens, cage-free eggs — that’s important stuff to people and we’re usually at the leading edge. RC: In the past year, McDonald’s has introduced a lot of initiatives, such as the kiosks and the ‘Create-Your-Taste’ platform. How do you feel about that? GC: A lot of these changes were driven by
the millennial generation. They are very unique and different for us. It’s the wave
40 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER 2016
of the future and that’s the way we should be in this environment. We just have to stay current — although a lot of people still like to go to the counter and order their normal fare. [Customers can also use] their iPhone for coupons and offers; you’ve got all this equipment in the store now that has to read what’s on those phones. RC: McDonald’s wrote the book on community involvement — in many ways it’s been a huge core tenant of your philosophy and your company’s success. Tell us about something that’s very near-and-dear to your heart, the Ronald McDonald House. GC: I love the Ronald McDonald Houses.
There are 15 houses across the country, 10 or 12 rooms in hospitals where people who have kids who are having serious surgery can go and rest and take it easy within a hospital. We just opened a Ronald McDonald House in Windsor, Ont. after the hospital came to us and said the third floor of the hospital is open, would you like to open a Ronald House in the hospital? It’s the first time we’ve ever done it inside of the hospital. You go to [floor] one to check in, you go to [floor] two to have surgery and when the parent presses three — all of a sudden there’s a door that says Ronald McDonald House, and you walk into a totally new world. We’ve got two therapy dogs that are wonderful animals and we take them to the Ronald McDonald Houses a lot. When you go to the houses and you get to meet the families that are there… we’ve served 29,000 families in the last year, but in my mind, it’s one at a time — it’s a little boy from Greece who had a brain tumour, had it taken out, and is undergoing chemo, and the mother and father are there from Greece. It’s a little boy waiting for a heart transplant; it’s someone waiting for a lung transplant; it’s one family at a time and the difference that you make for those families is really meaningful. I have a golf tournament every year and I’m shameless in raising money for the charity, I will hit everyone up that I can. There’s nothing that I won’t do to raise money for the charity because I believe in it so much. In my tournament this year, I think we took in $457,000 in one day. We owe duty, too. Ray Kroc instilled that. When you come into a community, you have to give back and
in Russia, that really was in my mind. [In Russia]we have a Ronald McDonald Centre for helping challenged children. We have a Ronald McDonald House in Kazan — we have houses and hospitals, we do a whole bunch to help kids over there, which I think is important. RC: What is the plan for the next wave of stores? Is there saturation, not just in terms of McDonald’s, but for the whole industry? GC: Ray Kroc, used to say ‘saturation is for
sponges.’ We don’t think about saturation at McDonald’s — we open a McCafé in the train station and one in the Exchange Tower with a smaller menu; we take corners that might not accommodate a more traditional McDonald’s because it’s too small. And, if you get these concepts working, you go across the country. But you have to wait and be sure it’s working properly — that takes time. RC: What do you think has made you such a great leader? GC: I don’t know if I am or not. I think it’s
surrounding yourself with good people; it’s looking forward to coming to work each day and making a difference — a positive difference. People manage different ways. I’ve always been, I think, a really good team player. I’ve always given authority to a lot of different people and I’ve always tried to spread success amongst the team. You don’t want to rest on your laurels; you want to not forget them; you want to have certain values but you want to keep driving and looking forward. l
STORY TELLER George Cohon delighted guests with his stories at the recent Icon & Innovators breakfast event
FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
SEGMENT REPORT
IMAGE: DREAMSTIME.COM
Canada’s RMS segment continues to grow to meet consumer demand for convenient, affordable and fresh meals STORY BY ANDREW COPPOLINO
P
op in and grab a newspaper and a quart of milk — and while you’re at it, you can you pick up a shawarma platter, a gyro with rice, a fattoush salad and some hummus for dinner. The convenience store at the busy intersection is doing double-duty as both snack vendor and restaurant. It’s the same with the grocery store: ready-made foods, and a wide variety of them, are increasingly obvious in their alluring presentations and wide variety of international flavours. It’s an idea
FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
whose time has come. “I’ve always been attracted to food retail,” says Mark McEwan of Toronto’s McEwan Foods, a foodservice empire comprised of both restaurants and retail food stores — including the 22,000 sq. ft. TD Centre venue made up of 15 per cent grocery and 85 per cent prepared food. “Typically, the stimulus was European markets and fine-food stores and the lack of them generally in North America,” he adds. “So the whole idea of chef-prepared food, ready to go, seemed a FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER 2016
41
dients, Vincenzo’s of Waterloo actually started selling prepared meals from its hot table in the late-1990s, says Carmine Caccioppoli, co-owner of the popular mid-town store. “Prepared foods have been the largest part of our growth for sure,” he says of the marchéstyle food business and fine grocery store. “We’ve been continuously honing what, and how, we serve our customers since we opened in our original location in 1967.” The hot table at Vincenzo’s includes chicken schnitzel on a bun ($5.49), a stuffed chicken of the day feature ($3.99), pasta of the day ($4.99) and a build-your-own salad option starting at $5.99. RMS can offer flexibility that a restaurant may not be able to. On a McEwan hot
BOUNTY OF RICHES Canadian supermarkets such as Pusateri’s (above) have upped their game when it comes to RMS, resulting in a 3.5-per-cent increase in RMS sales in 2015
natural and obvious category to go into.” The supermarket segment is experiencing significant growth when it comes to retail meal solution (RMS) purchases, according to Technomic’s 2015 Canadian Retailer Meal Solutions Consumer Trend Report. Chef, restaurateur and food maven McEwan recognized the trend and was an early adopter of RMS. Now other businesses, from a wide range of large and small retail outlets, are following suit. In fact, 75 per cent of surveyed consumers said they purchase a retail meal monthly; for millennials, that figure jumps to 88 per cent. The numbers also speak to growth, according to Anne Mills, manager, Consumer Insights at Technomic. In 2015, she says RMS grew by 3.5 per cent at grocery stores and an impressive five per cent at convenience stores. Jiries Rabba, marketing manager for Rabba Foods, says the company’s push into the RMS business was driven by what it saw as an increased number of busier customers with a keen eye for ready-to-eat meals of good quality. “Our internal and market
42 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER 2016
research indicates this growing category is due to the demand of the busy consumer. We cater to condo dwellers and busy Toronto areas where people are cooking less, but where taste and value are always important,” says Rabba. When McEwan talked to his customers — more educated consumers who cook less at home — “they said they love to eat, but they don’t like to labour in the kitchen too long.” He says they shun standard frozen and packaged foods and the artificial additives and preservatives that hold them in suspension until they hit the microwave. But it’s not just branded chefs and highprofile restaurateurs who are jumping on the RMS bandwagon. According to Mills, RMS is a phenomenon that reaches deeply into big box retail, where shoppers are visiting larger national brands such as Loblaws, Metro, Sobeys, 7-Eleven and Walmart, as well as regional retailers. FLEXIBLE FOOD
While they have always been known as a go-to source for high-quality cooking ingre-
HOT AND READY Healthier choices and overall convenience have helped fuel the popularity of RMS in stores
FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
SEGMENT REPORT table, for example, there might be 12 international flavours, unlike at a restaurant. “People like that diversity. It doesn’t happen in a restaurant, but when you do retail you certainly have greater flexibility to paint with a broader brush. You just have to be authentic,” he says. However, there’s a square-foot caveat, explains Rabba. “Shelf space is constantly an issue in retail,” he cautions. “Products that are most in demand will first and foremost dictate shelf space. If a category grows — let’s say take-out meals — there is only so much refrigerated space to merchandise as compared to general dry grocery, which can be put anywhere.” According to Technomic’s RMS Trend Report, the most popular lunch and dinner items are chicken, pizza and sandwich wraps, while QSRs have captured the breakfast daypart. However, convenience stores can provide quick on-the-go foodservice that is making headway with consumers in freshness and quality. Mills, drawing from the Canadian Convenience-Store Foodservice Consumer Trend Report, says consumers “recognize the improvements retailers are making in their prepared-foods offerings, which is helping to drive sales of retailer meal solutions. For instance, 27 per cent say convenience stores have improved the quality of their foods over the past two years.” Quality, yes, but healthy options are important for customers, too — especially when it comes to supermarkets. When asked about “better-for-you” options, 53 per cent of consumers surveyed by Technomic pegged supermarkets as better than fast-food for availability of healthier food options. Only 12 per cent said fast-food does better, while 35 per cent said they are the same. Retailers such as McEwan and Caccioppoli strive for a premium-food experience; there’s a reason for the coinage “grocerant.” McEwan knows his customers want to eat well and stresses his stores use only natural and wholesome ingredients. Rabba offers healthier deli salads of quinoa, kale, chickpea and tabbouleh as well as “homemeal replacements” that include whole barbecued chickens and salmon along with chicken cacciatore and chicken tandoori. In Waterloo, Caccioppoli agrees that healthy is in demand. “You see the decline in fast food, but people still want the option of convenience to save themselves time,” he says. “It’s FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
trust. They’ve bought their groceries here and they realize we’re using the same produce to make the meals. They recognize that it’s healthy and they don’t have to cook it.” Rabba has a slightly different view of the trust issue. “I believe that is up to how each company is perceived. Whether it is grocery or fast food, customers come to you because they trust you or they come to you because they have no other choice,” but he concedes “there is probably some sort of trust more towards a grocery store over a fast-food chain due to the fact that it often resembles home cooked meals.” Although they have shown improvement, convenience stores tend to fall behind QSRs when it comes to healthy RMS options, according to Mills. “About 49 per cent of consumers say fast food does a better job than c-stores in terms of availability of
WHEN YOU DO RETAIL, YOU CERTAINLY HAVE GREATER FLEXIBILITY TO PAINT WITH A BROADER BRUSH. YOU JUST HAVE TO BE AUTHENTIC.
ON TREND Rabba Fine Foods’ push into RMS came as a result of an increased number of busy customers looking for quality, covenient meal options
healthy options, compared to just 10 per cent who say c-stores are better. Forty-one per cent say they’re the same.” However, she says to watch for those convenience stores to be a bit of a dark horse in the RMS race, pointing to the fact that of the more than one-quarter of consumers who perceive healthier foods are available there: “Twenty-nine per cent say c-stores have improved the health of their prepared items over the last two years.” While the foodservice industry will grow 3.5 per cent on aver-
age, convenience store foodservice will hit 4.5 per cent in 2016. “C-stores are expected to outpace most other foodservice segments, save for healthcare,” Mills says. Those numbers have increased in a relatively short span of time and “growth will likely continue,” says Mills, who anticipates retailers will boost resources and invest in developing RMS across markets generally. “It will continue to grow as it meets consumer demand for convenient, affordable and fresh meals.” l FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER 2016
43
POURING FOR PROFITS
LOCAL VINES
Canadian wines are making a mark on the world stage BY DANIELLE SCHALK
C
44 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER 2016
in both B.C. and Ontario. It’s a great variety that guests attach a certain amount of prestige and luxury to,” explains Yamasaki. Tantalus Pinot Noir ($80/bottle) is a particularly popular label offered in B.C., while Flat Rock’s Pinot Noir ($12/6oz) sells well in Ontario. He also identifies Riesling and Chardonnay — such as Charles Baker Riesling ($75/bottle) and Mission Hill Chardonnay ($50/bottle) — as white varietals that perform well across the board. Chardonnay is making a bit of a comeback, thanks to the qualities produced by Canada’s cool climate, which allows for a more balanced flavour. “Chardonnay is emerging from an era where they were more recognized for having an extremely rich, viscus, textural and almost exhausting sense to them,” says Yamasaki. “It’s the world’s most popular white grape variety and in [Ontario and B.C.] specifically, it’s experiencing an upswing in terms of quality and a revival in terms of the enthusiasm around it.” l
UP AND COMERS
Though Ontario is recognized internationally for its icewine production, the province produces a wide range of wines, only five per cent of which are icewines. According to Laurie Macdonald, executive director of VQA Ontario, Ontario’s winemakers are further expanding their horizons, experimenting with different styles and production methods. “There’s a little more interest now in the appassimento style,” she explains. This style of wine making allows growers to avoid green qualities in their wine due to under-ripe grapes by further ripening the fruit off-vine to concentrate sugars and flavours without increasing acidity. “There is also some interest in fermenting white wine on the skins, which imparts a certain style to the finished product,” Macdonald adds. “I would say there is a fair bit of experimentation going on.”
FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
PHOTOGRAPHY: WINES OF BRITISH COLUMBIA [OKANAGAN VALLEY]
onsidering its relatively young wine industry, Canada has garnered a high level of acclaim for its vintages. In fact, according to the 2015 Wine Tourism in Canada Report, annual direct revenue from Canadian wine tourism was $476 million for the year. Canadians also have a taste for local grapes, with Canadian Vintners Association stats indicating wine industry sales represent 30 per cent of all wine sold across Canada. As Jason Yamasaki, group sommelier at Joey Restaurant Group explains, “A large proportion of our local customers really like to share [local wines] with the guests they’re welcoming from out of town or just enjoy the reliable names they have come to know through drinking wine in their own provinces.” Both Laurie Macdonald,
executive director of VQA Ontario and Miles Prodan, CEO and president of the B.C. Wine Institute agree with Yamasaki’s analysis, noting Canadian consumers are quite loyal to their locally produced vintages. “Sales [of VQA Ontario wines] have been increasing steadily for a couple of decades,” notes Macdonald. “In the big picture trend, we see that continuing because there is a great interest in local wine and local food and it all fits together.” In fact, licensee (bar and restaurant) sales (by volume) of VQA wines in both provinces were up for 2016, with growth of 11.2 per cent and 8.33 per cent respectively in Ontario and B.C. Canada boasts major winegrowing regions in four different provinces (B.C., Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec) the largest of which are the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario and B.C.’s Okanagan Valley. In total, the country is home to nearly 550 wineries, more than half of which (240) are found in B.C. Ontario is the second-largest wine producing province, with 150 wineries. Yamasaki says this distri-
bution clearly impacts the popularity of Canadian wines at Joey’s restaurant locations across the country. “Canadian wines represent a good portion of the sales, mostly in B.C. and Ontario, because they come with the built-in wine regions there,” he explains. In these two provinces, Canadian wines make up approximately 20 per cent of each location’s wine list, while the chain’s Alberta and Manitoba locations only offer three or fewer Canadian labels. “This is largely based on availability, as most of B.C. and Ontario wines are sold within their provincial boundaries.” With more than 60 grape varieties produced in B.C. alone, there is a plethora of Canadian wines to discover. However, Canadian diners have their favourites. “We sell Pinot Noir with really great success
Do you have the new and improved Foodservice and Hospitality magazine app? With the redesigned Foodservice and Hospitality magazine app, you can access all the latest issues. View the entire issue page by page or jump directly to your favourites. All the departments and features you’ve come to know and love, all at the tap of a screen. Search “Foodservice and Hospitality magazine� in the App Store
A clean like you’ve never seen.
Other machines only wash glasses. MEIKO’s M-iClean actually cleans them. Barware comes out of the M-iClean crystal clear and ready to use. The M-iClean achieves its superior clean using less water, less energy and less soap. The M-iClean also boasts an intuitive and easy-to-use touchscreen as well as a color-coded display so you can tell when it’s done from across the bar. TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE M-iCLEAN, EMAIL SALES@MEIKO.US OR CALL 800.55.MEIKO.
EQUIPMENT
A MODERN SPIN ON WAREWASHING
Today’s foodservice operators are learning it’s not all about the cleaning BY DENISE DEVEAU
L
ina Reid of Lakeridge Health in Oshawa has an additional item on her to-do list these days. The manager of Nutrition Services at the 400-bed hospital’s is often called upon to conduct tours of her newest investment in warewashing equipment. She says the original 20-yearold system was constantly breaking down, labour intensive and the garbage created by its food waste took up a large footprint. “It was completely inefficient from a labour standpoint.”
FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
The key criteria for the new system was it had to be safe, environmentally friendly and cost-efficient. “We needed to make sure it would fit the existing flow of operations,” adds Reid. Working with the engineer, her team decided on an E-Series conveyor system from Champion Moyer Diebel in St. Catharines, Ont. The technology not only reduces water usage and overall footprint, but the new exhaust system that draws moist air from the steam blower improves ambient air quality.
The conveyor also has a button that can be pushed with a hip, freeing up workers’ hands. The innovation drawing other operators to the site is the integrated EnviroPure digester, she says. “It has completely changed the way we interact with food waste. It eliminates odours and there’s no daily cleaning required; it’s self-cleaning.” Here’s how it works: organic food waste is pushed into a Salvajor grinder which then pumps it into the EnviroPure digester in an adjoining room.
The content is mixed with an all-natural bio-mixture to break it down, resulting in grey water that can be released safely to the street system. Beyond the savings in sanitation and improved health and safety, Reid says the disposal process has reduced labour by four hours per day. “That’s an entire shift we were able to remove.” Overall garbage waste for the kitchen operations has been reduced by 50 per cent. “People don’t have to lift wet, heavy garbage to compactors.”
FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER 2016
47
EQUIPMENT
CLEANING UP ITS ACT Lakeridge Health in Oshawa, Ont. recently overhauled its entire warewashing system
Danny Collis, president of The Collis Group Incorporated in Richmond Hill, Ont., says warewashing is no longer just about how clean the dishes are or how much water is used.
Efficient food-waste disposal is an equally important consideration. “There are lots of different ways you can try to eliminate waste because it is costing [operators] millions of dollars.” One of the biggest and most advanced systems you’ll find in the country is at CFB (Canadian Forces Base) Borden, north of Toronto, where two kitchens have identical semi-automatic flight systems in action. “It’s the largest institutional kitchen in Canada,” says Gary Lummis, president of Lummis & Co. foodservice consultancy in Fredericton, N.B. Each kitchen serves 6,000 meals a day and has the capacity for triple that during contingency situations. The first kitchen has a Meiko, the other a Hobart that together account for close to a $1 million investment.
UNCOMPROMISING QUALITY. UNPRECEDENTED VALUE. Tomlinson’s new Countertop Humidified Merchandiser is the must-compare-model for fresh, hot food display. Tomlinson ingenuity gives you the convenience features you desire at a fraction of the cost.
WORLD CLASS, WORLDWIDE
SSIFIE LA
D
C
• Large LED control panel and easy-to-use, fingertouch adjustments. • Easy-to-operate drain valve. • Two doors for fast filling and customer access.
216-587-3400 www.tomlinsonind.com
48 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER 2016
BAR NONE Bar Maid’s new upright glass washer leaves glassware streak-free
The only difference is the vacuum systems (one has a one-tank system, the other two). “The great thing about these systems is once you drop food waste into them, it’s gone. That eliminates one of the biggest problems in HACCP [hazard analysis and critical control points] always forward-flow processes,” Lummis explains. Efficient disposal systems are not all that is happening on the warewashing design front these days, he adds. On the under-thecounter and upright single basket side for example, operators are increasingly turning to ventless configurations to eliminate the need to run exhaust vents to the exterior. Smaller units can also condense the steam so it doesn’t bellow out when the doors are open, making operation much safer, says Ron Sternig, product manager for Etobicole-based Garland Canada. “The technology started with upright and under-thecounter systems and has since expanded to other models.” Tim Muehlbauer, chef and co-owner of the 80-seat East Coast Bistro in Saint John, N.B., says he decided to replace an old Jackson warewasher with a Hobart AM15VL ventless upright system not long after purchasing the bistro in 2013. He says the $16,000 he spent
FROM THE SUPPLY SIDE
Nothing turns restaurant customers off more than a dirty glass so Florida-based Bar Maid Corporation has released the A-Series Upright Glass Washer and the SS-Series Submersible
Glass Washer for the foodservice industry. According to George Shepherd, president of Bar Maid Corporation, a properly cleaned glass allows water to sheet off evenly, leaving it to dry spot and streak free. It also promotes an appealing “head” on the beer that leaves a lace with every sip. “Our system is the ultimate for wine bars, hotels and high end-restaurants,” he says. “For operators who serve draft beer, we can show increased yield and profitability from their kegs.” Built for busy bars, the economical A-Series features five spinning brushes that clean inside and out simultaneously for crystal clear glassware. The SS-Series boasts a compact design that fits under bars — even if space is tight — has a convenient inline switch and its submersible motor runs smoothly and quietly.
on the system was well worth the investment. “It would have cost us at least $5,000 to install venting alone; and it would take some of the power away from other appliances. Besides, adding a vent also changes air flow; FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
WE KNOW
SENSOR FAUCETS.
That’s why we’ve created the perfect solution for your foodservice operation. Thanks to some fresh thinking from T&S, sensor faucet technology now has a whole new look. The innovative above-deck EC-3130/3132 line expands our award-winning family of ChekPoint sensor faucets, offering the same easy installation you’ve come to expect — plus the world-class performance needed to keep restaurants running at peak efficiency. Whether it’s multiple programming levels, five unique power configurations or flexible temperature control options, the EC-3130/3132 sets a new standard for above-deck design. The next generation of sensor faucet technology has arrived. Visit tsbrass.com and see how we’re offering more innovative options for foodservice than ever before.
EQUIPMENT
SCRAPING BY| Dennis Easteria, National Sales manager at Kansas City, MO-based Salvajor recommends scraping dishes before loading a machine and making sure dish racks are completely full when loading them. “This helps reduce
When your glassware sparkles, so does your reputation.
soap consumption and saves on system wear and tear,” he says. “The goal is to create speed and efficiency in the dish room. You can only wash as many dishes as the scrapping operation is capable of scrapping.” A dish machine may be capable of washing 200 or more racks per hour (typical rack-type conveyor) but Easteria says most dish rooms use the
Introducing the Bar Maid Glass Polisher. This portable glass polisher saves time and effort by ensuring wet glasses get gently polished and dried simultaneously in seconds, eliminating the need for potentially unsanitary hand polishing and reducing breakage. Essential for hotels, caterers, bars, restaurants, event venues and glassware rental companies for whom consistently brilliant glassware is important for maintaining their reputation.
Glass Washers • Glassware Detergent • Blenders Keg Cart & Dolly • Juicers • Bar Necessities
Bar Maid Corporation 2950 N.W. 22nd Terrace Pompano Beach, FL 33069 (954) 960-1468 www.barmaidwashers.com
ResTauRaNTs CaNada shoW Booth #2700B distributed in Canada by KBC specialty Products Inc. 800-315-6252 • sales@kbcspecialty.com • www.kbcspecialty.com
trashcan/pre-rinse hose method for scrapping, which severely limits the number of racks you can feed into a conveyor machine. “Our 70-plus years of experience watching people scrape with a pre-rinse hose is that even the best operator, on a Friday or Saturday night, can only wash 25 to 30 racks per hour and the dish room is usually backed up most of the evening. If you can create a more efficient dish room — reduce the number of rewashes — you are, in turn, reducing detergent, energy and water use at the dish machine.”
your exhaust fan and intake have to be even so it needs to be looked at carefully.” Another huge area of advancement is heat recovery, Lummis notes. Heat-recovery allows systems to use cold water and have the unit operate as a heat exchanger using heat build-up inside the system. “Hobart and Champion both have those types of features. Meiko has been a big leader in heat-recovery technology for flight systems with its M-Q. It’s about 15 per cent more expensive than a regular flight machine, but you save that on venting and energy savings.” Many systems now come with electronic controls — allowing for self-diagnostics and built-in connectivity so operators can communicate with the machines
to see how well they are working, he adds. “Most of the manufacturers are looking at ways to integrate that with smartphones and tablets.” Whatever the size, configuration and added features, Lummis says it never pays to buy cheap. “Stick with a known brand and don’t base your choice on saving a few dollars. Bigger names make better machines that last longer.” Muehlbauer agrees wholeheartedly. “Operators tend to go cheap on dishwasher purchases. There are plenty of things you should look for, such as all metal parts for the interior, how racks go through, how much water is used and how quickly it heats. The reality is, the dishwasher is the heart and soul of the kitchen. If it goes down, you’re in big trouble.” l FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
There are more reasons than ever to connect with Kostuch Media GREAT MAGAZINES For almost 50 years, KML has been the foodservice and hospitality industry’s leading publisher, producing the most recognized magazine brands. Foodservice and Hospitality is published 11 x a year and features insightful analysis of the trends impacting the $70-billion industry, statistical reports that allow operators to benchmark and measure their own success, as well as profiles of the hottest concepts and chefs in the industry.
Hotelier magazine, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2014 is the hotel industry’s leading national publication. Published 8 times a year, the magazine features timely stories on the trends making the news, highlighting the fastest-growing segments and the most successful brands and independents, as well as regular profiles on the movers and shakers in the dynamic hotel industry.
digital
Events
Compelling websites
Spectacular events
Whether you’re looking for daily news on the foodservice or hotel industry, searching for resources to help you improve your business offerings or just eager to learn from the industry’s icons and innovators, our magazine websites and weekly digital newsletter offer compelling and relevant information that will keep you informed and educated. Visit foodserviceandhospitality.com or hoteliermagazine.com for daily news, feature articles or digital issues in their entirety, as well as video clips from our Icons & Innovators breakfast series and our renowned Pinnacle Awards. It’s all just a click away.
Are you interested in networking opportunities, and/or learning opportunities from those in the know? Then KML’s events should be on your todo list. We offer a range of events, from our Icons & Innovators breakfast series featuring one-onone interviews between KML editor/publisher Rosanna Caira and the industry’s leading luminaries, to the renowned and respected Pinnacle Awards and more.
kostuchmedia.com
CHEF’S CORNER
SEIZE THE MOMENT Restaurateur and entrepreneur Kimberly Lallouz shares her culinary story BY ERIC ALISTER
K
BITS & BITES
2012. “People always asked me, ‘Where can I meet you to try samples [of the catering menu]?’ So I thought I’d open something really small and humble,” she says. Her second restaurant, Monsieur Resto & Bar — conveniently located beside from her first — opened in 2013 with a menu featuring barley risotto made with shaved asparagus, mushrooms, watercress and spinach ($15); and organic chicken breast stuffed with apricot, prunes and ricotta and served with Jerusalem artichoke purée, sautéed vegetables and creamy champagne and paprika sauce ($26). Juggling three businesses might be a feat for the average entrepreneur, but Lallouz is anything but average. In 2014, she opened Miss Tennis, an expansion of her catering business focused on sporting events such as the Rogers Cup and local sports teams, including the Alouettes and the Canadiens. Her latest restaurant, Le Bird Bar in Montreal’s Griffintown, will bring a unique twist to fried chicken when it opens its doors this fall— with gluten-free, dairy-free and vegetarian mock-chicken options, 13 sides and 13 sauces. While Lallouz seems to have a knack for seizing opportunities, she admits she sometimes battles with self-doubt and anxiety and says she felt self-conscious in the early years about not going to culinary school. On such occasions, she always remembers the advice she received from more than one mentor over the years — “if you have it, don’t change or ruin it by enrolling in culinary school.” l
First food memory: “Helping my mom wash and peel vegetables at age four”
If you weren’t a chef, what would you be? “If I had no money, I’d be an artist and if I had money, a philanthropist, travelling the world to help as many people as I can”
52 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER 2016
Favourite culinary destination: “I want to eat my way through Vietnam and take a look at where Anthony Bourdain went” Favourite cooking tool: “Kitchen rags. I can’t live without my stack of kitchen rags, and a good sharp knife” FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
PHOTOS: VADIM DANIEL [KIMBERLEY LALLOUZ], DREAMSTIME.COM [BITS & BITES]
imberly Lallouz shares “I’m even better at coming up with ideas for other people than I am for myself.” The Montreal native has aggressively opened one new foodservice-related business per year for the past five years. Today, she is the chef and owner of Montreal restaurants, Miss Prêt à Manger, Monsieur Resto & Bar and Le Bird Bar in addition to catering businesses Petite Miss Prêt à Manger and Miss Tennis. Interestingly, Lallouz didn’t start her career in the culinary industry — after high school, she studied journalism and marketing and, for a few years, built a reputation in the fashion industry, travelling to major cities every month. She soon realized, however, that she was spending more time restauranthopping and chatting with local chefs than actually working in fashion. After deciding she needed more creative freedom and control in her career, Lallouz spent three months soul-searching and mustering up the courage to do what her intuition had been pointing to all along. Barely a year after starting her first business — Miss Prêt à Manger catering — in 2010, she expanded her catering service to reach more people, this time for humanitarian reasons rather than personal gain. Petite Miss Prêt à Manger, which opened in 2011, provides one free nutritious meal per day to daycare children from low-income families. “We don’t really make any profit on it, but that’s my giveback,” says Lallouz, adding the business feeds approximately 200 kids each day. Lallouz’s first restaurant, Miss Prêt à Manager, opened its doors in
WHATEVER YOUR JOB, FORD TRANSIT CONNECT WORKS.
Every business wants a bigger footprint. The Ford Transit Connect is big in all the right ways. It parks and drives like a midsize SUV, thanks to electric power-assisted steering, yet boasts space to grow. Bottom line? Transit Connect has the configurations, available technologies and options to fit any business like a custom-made work glove.
Meet the Transit Connect • Transit Connect Van with up to 148 cu ft of cargo space • Standard dual sliding doors for easy loading • Maximum payload 1,630 lbs* • Towing capacity 2,000 lbs**
MAKE US THE TEAM BEHIND YOUR TEAM. FORD.CA/BUILTFORBUSINESS
*When properly equipped. Maximum payload with Transit Connect Van. **When properly equipped. ©2016 Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited. All rights reserved.